Local
Tong leads fight against high gas prices
By Press Release
Jun 12, 2008 - 12:47:22 PM

State Rep. William Tong (D-Stamford) applauded the General Assembly for passing key components of his bill to fight skyrocketing gas prices in special session. The critical gas price relief legislation was based largely on a bill previously drafted by Rep. Tong and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal—the Gasoline Transparency and Oversight Act (LCO # 6346)—and: (1) enables all retail gas stations to offer discounts to customers paying by cash (some independent services stations have reportedly offered discounts as high as $.18 per gallon); (2) kills the planned.5% increase in the gross receipts tax; (3) protects home heating oil customers from fraud and unscrupulous dealers; and (4) helps consumers use home heating oil more efficiently.

“With prices rocketing toward $5 a gallon, I am so glad the General Assembly passed key parts of my bill to offer motorists and homeowners relief from rising fuel and energy costs,” Rep. Tong said.

However, the General Assembly did not take up another component of the Tong-Blumenthal bill, which would have required Big Oil to turn over gasoline price and volume data. As part of Rep. Tong’s fight against the zone pricing of gasoline, he proposed SB 530 (and LCO # 6346) to force major oil companies to turn over price/volume data it has fought hard to conceal. The bill stemmed from a 2007 incident where three Quinnipiac University professors were hired by major oil companies to conduct a study which, they claim, showed that a ban on gasoline zone pricing would not lower prices. During an examination of one of the professors during an Energy Committee public hearing, Rep. Tong asked to see their data. The professors refused; claiming that they were contractually precluded from sharing the data, and then later said they had destroyed the data.

“Big Oil says their prices are fair and competitive,” said Rep. Tong. “I say prove it, back it up. If they have nothing to hide, they should have no problem showing us the data.”

“I’m glad we took action today, but I’ll keep fighting to get Big Oil’s price and volume data,” said Tong. “That’s the best way for us to show our colleagues and the public what the Attorney General and I already know -- Big Oil’s prices are unfair and anticompetitive, and the zone pricing of gasoline is wrong and probably illegal.”

The Tong-Blumenthal gas price relief legislation passed overwhelmingly in both chambers, and now move to the governor for approval.

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