Attorney General eyes gas prices

INDIANAPOLIS -- The state is urging consumers to report suspicions of gasoline price gouging as the prospect of war in Iraq drives up prices.\nAttorney General Steve Carter encouraged the public to report suspected gouging at retail stations via his office's Web site, or by calling a toll-free telephone hot line set up for that purpose at (866) 241-9753. The Web address is www.in.gov/attorney general.\n"With the possibility of war looming, the market is responding, which results in price increases for some commodities including crude oil and gasoline," Carter said Wednesday. "Price increases are likely in these uncertain times, but I am watchful for excessive levels that could lead to a repeat of events following Sept. 11."\nCarter said his office had no indication of any gasoline shortage that would cause prices to rise.\nWednesday's average Indiana price for unleaded gasoline was $1.65 per gallon, 3 cents higher than the day before. Prices are about 60 cents higher than a year ago and almost 20 cents higher than a month ago.\nGreg Seiter, a spokesman for the AAA Hoosier Motor Club, said the increases were not a cause for concern for the association as long as they can be justified.\n"By no means are we accusing anyone of gas price gouging at this point," Seiter said. "But at the same time we want to emphasize to the wholesalers and the retailers the importance of paying close attention to their pricing."\nCarter said his office had not established a price that would constitute market gouging.\nStaci Schneider, a spokeswoman for Carter, said there was no threshold for what price should prompt a citizen to report suspected gouging.\nThe Indiana General Assembly passed the state's Fuel Price Gouging Law last year after prices rose as high as $5 a gallon at some stations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.\nThe law prohibits price gouging for fuel products. It allows the attorney general to investigate and seek restitution, injunctions and civil penalties if the governor has declared Indiana to be in a state of emergency.\nThe recent price rise is a response to factors including the threat of war in Iraq, a strike by oil workers in Venezuela and increased demand for home heating oil, Carter said.\n"It's not just the supplier raising their prices out of the blue or in reaction to an unanticipated attack," Carter said. "We've all become aware of some of these market factors"