(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Gas Prices
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued an alert to New Yorkers about possible price gouging for gasoline following days of interruptions — urging consumers to report any dramatic price increases to the Office of the Attorney General for investigation, in a press release on Wednesday.
The gas disruption occurred after hackers put malware into the computer system that controls Colonial Pipeline, which supplies 45% of the East Coast’s and much of the Southeast’s gas supply from Houston to NYC. In response, consumers have reportedly engaged in panic-buying gas, with sellers increasing their prices to profit.
States such as North Carolina saw gas shortages up to about 70%, according to GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan. The highest shortage was in Chattanooga, which saw just under 94% Wednesday evening.
On the other hand, NC outages skyrocketed and then started to chill: pic.twitter.com/vpeu7pM9qn
— Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) May 13, 2021
The OAG advised consumers to buy only as much gas as they need and not to panic buy, because it could reduce the supply of fuel available for other consumers and could encourage price gouging. James also threatened legal action if any fuel sellers are conducting the illegal practice.
“As New Yorkers continue to suffer the economic impact of the COVID-19 public health crisis, the last thing their wallets can afford is the price gouging of fuel from those seeking to unconscionably take advantage of another crisis,” said James. “To be clear, the price gouging of fuel in New York state will not be tolerated for a moment.”
