Attorney General asked to investigate oil companies

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(Host) The Vermont Senate wants the state Attorney General to investigate whether oil companies are fixing prices and gouging customers.

Senator Bobby Starr represents Essex and Orleans counties. He wants to know why the public is paying record prices, while oil companies earn record profits.

(Starr) "There’s not very many major oil companies today. And the big guy sets the price and then the little ones follow along behind. So there’s laws against things like that."

(Host) Starr owns a trucking company. But he says the public is paying for the high price of fuel because the cost is passed on to the public.

(Starr)  "So every time one of my consumers that I represent goes to the store, goes to buy food, goes to buy clothing, goes to buy any necessity to have the family to survive, there’s an extra charge built into those products because the fuel has driven the cost of transportation, which has driven up the cost of all these items."

(Host) Senate President Peter Shumlin says state and federal law give the government power to look at price-fixing.

(Shumlin) "I think what is lacking right now is the political will by politicians to stand up and say something’s wrong here, our citizens are being creamed, our economy is crashing, the oil companies are making profits. Why don’t we put one and one together and simply ask is there price gouging, is there price fixing? Why is it they are doing so well, and we’re doing so poorly?"  

(Host) All 30 members of the Senate have signed the resolution calling for the investigation. Governor Jim Douglas says he shares the Senate’s concerns, but he thinks it’s better for Congress to deal with the issue.

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