State Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Friday morning asked Arkansans to send pictures and other documentation of gasoline price gouging to his office.
The office has been receiving complaints from Arkansans since Thursday morning, when the first calls about higher than usual prices came in as news reports warned that approaching Hurricane Ike could damage a large number of oil facilities in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, prices of more than $4 have been confirmed, he said.
Gov. Mike Beebe declared a state of emergency in Arkansas Friday, which will impact how much businesses can raise prices, according to a release from the governor's office.
State law 4-88-303 prohibits the raising of prices more than 10 percent of that charged immediately before an emergency proclamation unless the increase is merely "attributable to additional costs."
"We have dealt with emergencies before when severe weather has impacted fuel prices in Arkansas and throughout the region," Beebe said. "This situation is unique with the interruption of pipeline service, and we want to do everything we can to make sure that any price gouging that results can be dealt with swiftly and strongly by the Attorney General."
McDaniel suggested that consumers keep their gas receipts when they think they were charged too much.
AAA reported that a regular gallon of gasoline averaged $3.586 per gallon at midnight Thursday in Arkansas, up one cent from Wednesday.
In Arkadelphia, Prosecuting Attorney Blake Batson said he sent subpoenas Friday morning to several Clark County stations along Interstate 30, requesting information about prices being raised overnight from $3.68 to $4.19 a gallon.
Arkansans can send evidence to the attorney general's office of gouging to gas@arkansasag.gov or text a picture to (501) 539-0969. They can also call (800) 482-8982.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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