The Department of Justice urged state attorneys general to investigate high gasoline prices.
In a letter obtained by Politico, the DOJ urged state AGs to “use all tools available” under state law to prosecute any misconduct that could be elevating gas prices. “Although the Division and the Commission do not enforce any laws aimed specifically at price gouging rather than anticompetitive conduct, many States have also enacted laws specifically targeting price gouging during periods of market disruption or emergency, and we urge those states to review whether enforcement is warranted under those laws.”
“We urge state law enforcers to join us in investigating illegal practices. Recent volatility in crude oil prices does not suspend either the antitrust laws or state consumer protection laws, and it does not authorize companies to manipulate retail prices or collude with their competitors,” the letter says. “Business may not use market volatility as cover for anticompetitive practices, fraud, or any other lawlessness that harms Americans.”
The DOJ further declared that past increases in crude oil prices “do not excuse wrongdoing” and emphasized that State Attorney General to “ensure those who exploit hardship are held accountable.”
Last month, President Trump directed the Justice Department to open an investigation into gas price gouging. “The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Those prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being ‘gouged.’ I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this. Gasoline prices better start going down a lot faster than what I’m seeing!”
