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Hyde Calls for FTC Investigation of High Gasoline Prices in Chicagoland

7 June 2000

Hyde Calls for FTC Investigation of High Gasoline Prices in Chicagoland

    WASHINGTON - Chicagoland motorists are paying some of nation's highest 
prices for gasoline and U.S. Rep. Henry J. Hyde said today he 
wants the Federal Trade Commission to investigate why.

    In a letter to FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky, Hyde raised the possibility
that oil companies are exploiting consumers. The letter was also forwarded to
Bill Richardson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy.

    "Even aside from the impact of state and local (fuel) taxes, these prices
raise questions as to whether illegal price gouging is occurring," Hyde,
chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote to Pitofsky.

    "We request that the Commission investigate this issue, and as promptly as
possible, report your findings and recommendations to our committee." The
letter was also signed by U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), who has
raised similar concerns about the price of gasoline in the Milwaukee area.

    Hyde said that an informal survey taken by his office indicated a gallon
of gasoline in suburban Chicago was currently selling in the range of $1.96 to
$2.28, well above the national average.

    "Charging different prices for the same brand of gasoline in different
neighborhoods in the same city also raises serious questions that demand
serious answers," Hyde added.