CONSUMER ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Carl Danberg

Phone: (302) 893-8704

Date: September 2, 2005



ATTORNEY GENERAL BRADY QUESTIONING GAS PRICE INCREASES


(Wilmington DE): In the face of rapidly rising gas prices, Attorney General M. Jane Brady is working with more than 35 Attorneys General across the nation in a joint effort to address consumers' concerns about the rising price of gasoline following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The Attorneys General are comparing costs, trends, and the laws in their respective states in order to properly document the facts, and to determine what remedies they may have for the citizens who must pay so much more at the pump. Some states have so called "price-gouging" laws which are intended to protect the public from unjustified price increases, but they only take effect when a governor declares a state of emergency. Delaware, like many other states, does not have a price-gouging law. Attorney General Brady is committed, however, to making sure that other consumer protection laws are not being violated and will take action against any company or individual who breaks the law.

"This situation is unprecedented, and we need to be sure to protect Delaware's consumers from any unscrupulous persons who would take advantage of the tragedy in the South," said Brady.

The Attorney General urges consumers to contact the Consumer Protection Unit with information about their experiences. The Consumer Protection Unit will analyze all reported information to determine if any illegal action is occurring, and send it, as appropriate, to the Federal Trade Commission Gasoline Price Monitoring Project to identify possible anti-competitive activity. Consumers should call Consumer Protection at 800-220-5424 statewide or 302-577-8600 in New Castle County to assist the Attorney General's office in gathering this information.

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