A Vermont fuel dealer was in Washington today testifying about how fuel prices are manipulated by national companies.
Congressman Peter Welch invited Sean Cota to appear before a panel of the Energy Committee.
Cota owns a heating fuel dealership in Bellows Falls and he says price manipulation at the national level affects him and his customers.
Cota estimates that the average Vermont household pays 800 to one-thousand dollars more for heating fuel because of the way prices are set by big companies.
Welch wants Congress to begin regulating large energy companies again.
He says lack of regulation allows prices to shift dramatically because of speculation by traders in energy markets.