| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
KY AG investigating some KY refiners and suppliers Gas price differential in Louisville market basis for action. AG requests review of merger of Marathon and Ashland Oil; merge company is parent of distributing firm Speedway, which has an outlet in Columbia, KY From Commonwealth News Center Attorney General Jack Conway announced that because of information received during a preliminary investigation into Louisville gas prices, his office has issued civil subpoenas to refiners and suppliers of the Kentucky petroleum market and has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the anti-trust division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the merger of Marathon and Ashland Oil. General Conway made the announcement at a news conference Friday afternoon in Louisville, where he joined Gov. Steve Beshear, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY.) and Mayor Jerry Abramson to discuss initial findings from a joint investigation into Louisville gas prices. "Our investigation has raised significant questions about the wholesale price of gasoline being charged in Louisville compared to other communities that utilize similar blends of gasoline," said Gov. Beshear. "We intend to get answers." The preliminary data from the past two years shows that Louisville retailers have been paying about 10 cents more per gallon for gas when compared to prices reported in other parts of the state and region. Higher wholesale prices result in higher prices paid by consumers. General Conway, Gov. Beshear, Rep. Yarmuth and Mayor Abramson have urged federal anti-trust authorities to review the 1997 merger of Marathon and Ashland Oil and its impact on the entire Kentucky petroleum market. The FTC reviewed the merger in 2004 and determined it had not adversely affected consumers because retail prices were not out of line with other cities in the region. "With the data we've received, I don't think that's the case anymore," General Conway said. "Louisville consumers are clearly paying a higher pre-tax price for gas today than they were ten years ago relative to other comparable cities in the region. We're also concerned about the prices in Northern Kentucky and the rest of the state." "A significant portion of the Louisville market is being supplied by a single refiner, and we need to know if it is squeezing out competition and creating an unfair or illegal business environment," Rep. Yarmuth said. "We are calling on the FTC and the Department of Justice to conduct a swift investigation that we hope will provide some long overdue answers and relief for Louisville drivers." The civil subpoenas sent by the Office of the Attorney General to retailers and suppliers seek explanations and data to determine why Louisville retailers are paying more for gasoline than their counterparts in other cities. "They have 45 days to supply the information we're seeking, and after analyzing that information we will determine whether or not to move forward with a lawsuit in this case," General Conway said. Gov. Beshear and General Conway launched the joint investigation during the first week of July after receiving complaints from Louisville consumers who were paying about $4.30 per gallon for gas. That price was almost 30 cents more per gallon than other parts of the state. "Louisville motorists are paying more at the pump than they should, and I am glad that our elected leaders are getting to the bottom of it," Mayor Abramson said. "I applaud the team approach taken by General Conway, Gov. Beshear and Congressman Yarmuth to protect our citizens." Economists from the Governor's Budget Office obtained two years of data from the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). That data includes daily average retail and wholesale prices from July 2006 to July 2008. The budget office economists analyzed the two-week period from June 12 to July 2, when prices peaked in Louisville and dissected data for the two-year period to track trends in the market. This story was posted on 2008-08-23 03:08:30
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic News:
KSP warns of scam involving bogus prize checks Thanks to anonymous benefactor for helping Adair kids Two person scramble at Pinewood for Saturday cancelled Feedback: Wall Street resident agrees with Susan Barbee County Agent Nick Roy answers question about seedlings Crossroads Quartet at Union Chapel UMC, Sun. Aug. 24, 2008 Wall Street resident thinks chain was right decision at time SCC adds bicycle rental program at Somerset campus CU retains high ranking in America's Best Colleges Speedy Suppers session Mon., Aug. 25, 2008 at Extension office View even more articles in topic News |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
