US Senate Democrat seeks to limit fuel price hikes

[UpInArms]

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-09-19T211610Z_01_N19320282_RTRIDST_0_KATRINA-GASOLINE-PROFITEERING.XML

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A Senate Democrat introduced a bill on Monday that would outlaw a gasoline price increase greater than 15 percent during a natural disaster or other emergency like Hurricane Katrina.

Minnesota Sen. Mark Dayton's anti-profiteering measure would take effect only if the president declared a major disaster or emergency.

The bill includes an exception in which the Federal Trade Commission would not prosecute cases where a price increase "is directly attributable to additional costs incurred by the seller." It would also require the U.S. Energy Information Administration to publish daily the average retail gasoline price for major metropolitan areas in every state.

In Minnesota, retail gasoline prices rose by 46 cents per gallon, or 18 percent, in the three days after Katrina hit the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29, Dayton said.

Several anti-profiteering proposals have been put forward in Congress during the past two weeks. It was not immediately clear how much support Dayton's proposal had.

...more...

[Carolab]

1. Did anyone else catch Dayton, Dorgan et al on C-Span today?

A Democratic Policy Committee meeting about gas. Good God, $200 million a DAY in "windfall profits" to the oil and gas industry. WE ARE BEING ROYALLY SCREWED!

An independent gas station owner appeared to testify. He said if EVERYONE stopped buying gas for just ONE DAY each week--cut their consumption by that much--it would really "hurt" the industry and get their attention.

Can we start a lower your consumption drive here on DU?

Or maybe Dayton could spearhead such a drive nationwide?

[texpatriot2004]

2. I did it was great and something else emerged in the discussion

the idea/fact that we DO NOT have a free marketplace but rather a few giant conglomerations forcing the independents out of business.

[Carolab]

3. Yes, that was quite clear.

And at the end, wasn't it something how Dayton said that "no one is doing anything about it"? He just laid it out, how the majority is not interested in doing anything to help Americans out with the real problems, such as the energy situation.

[Gregorian]

5. Yes. But I have mixed feelings about all of this.

I strongly believe that high gas prices are the only way people are going to wake up. I was actually offended by the discussion group today. Yes, I realize the corporations are going to make 100 BILLION dollars this quarter, or year. I didn't get the time frame. And it's really rotten. And high prices will hurt people.
And aside from that, I was walking around the room yelling out loud that THIS IS THE DISCUSSION WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THIRTY YEARS AGO! I'm flabbergasted. All of these years, I've been sacrificing, commuting by bike, etc., and noone gave a shit. And god forbid if Americans should be subjected to high gas prices. I'm ashamed to be associated with America. Spoiled America.

Nothing changes unless there's a crisis. That is how almost everyone operates. Except DUers, I should say. So, until gas is expensive enough, people will keep doing the same old thing. Get in the rv and tour the country with a car and a boat trailing behind. Drive everywhere.

But when gas is ten bucks a gallon, solar will be a top priority.

Right now we're talking about making more bombs, sending people to the moon, and everything besides renewable energy conversion. And I might add, energy storage. We need every engineer on this. The ice caps are melting. If that isn't a crisis, I don't know what is.

Screw the oil companies. But if it gets America off it's fat ass, so be it.

[Carolab]

6. You have a point. But still, how can we continue to allow this?

They are ROBBING US BLIND!

I think Americans are just spoiled enough to continue to spend more on gas and bullheadedly keep on driving with abandon for a loonnnngggg time. I can't agree that we should just let the prices continue to rise. Too many people and industries are hurt by it in the interim.

BUT, if the sheeple are made to realize that they are being GOUGED at the pumps, they may just rise up against that. It is BAD for Bush if Americans find out they are being had.

But, OTOH, if people demand fair prices and then the oil companies oblige them, they will think they actually do have a "say" in things, and that their government "listens" to them, which is of course a ruse, and their thinking this is a very BAD thing.

So, it's a tough call.

[Gregorian]

7. Education

Europe hasn't been ruined by gas prices. Look what they pay. But then they don't drive dually one tons and Humvees. I was shocked, even in 1970 when I discovered that the French were riding mopeds all over the place. What's a moped, I wondered. Funny how we feel that kind of transportation is beneath us. So I admit, I almost want to see gas prices go up just for spite. But that's not right. We should be able to keep the big oil companies from ripping us off, and spend money on energy conversion solutions engineering. If we were smart. But the drunks have the steering wheel.

I honestly think Americans are typically the kind (especially republicans) who would rather fight than switch. What we need is a combination of education and leadership. We have neither. I was raised by a bright engineer. So I knew at a very young age what was going on. I take it for granted. The problem is, we're running out of time. We're burning the candle at both ends. Not only is the population increasing (ie. the number of users of petroleum), but the undeveloped are developing. We don't have time to educate. And besides, this administration has convinced a lot of Americans that facts can be debated.

We simply must stop combusting fuel. And I think no matter what it takes, it has to happen now. And it's even more urgent since only a percentage of fuel combustion can ever be stopped. Trucking might always neccisarily be internal combustion. Kind of hard to get a truck load over a big mountain grade with electric motors of present design. And flying planes without petroleum fuel is a dream far away.

The price of fuel is insignificant compared to global disaster.

(Bush will be gone soon. Sometimes I almost think he and his friends designed ways to spend our money just so their companies could continue making money. You'll notice a lot of Bush investment money recently went into renewable energy stocks. )

[Carolab]

9. Yes, the clock IS ticking and I think that is of paramount concern.

The environment cannot sustain this much longer.

That is why I believe we need a CONSUMPTION ban of some kind.

Maybe gas taxes?

Highway tolls?

What will get the drunks to stop driving us off a cliff?

[Gregorian]

11. A leader

I used to think consumption taxes and the things you mentioned would work. I've learned that it really does hurt the wrong people. Which goes right against what I've been saying about high gas prices. I can't really be consistent and say I want high prices to shock people, and yet be an honest and caring person for those who are suffering the most.

I'm really seeing how important a leader is. The people need the solid truth about what is going on with the environment. We're in the exact worse situation we could possibly be in.

I think we're going to need a crisis. Or new leaders. But the problem with politics is that it's slower than real estate. The left wants to get something done, and the right drags it down. Crisis. I've always felt that was the only way we were going to learn. People will find out that six billion is about three times too many people, only after it's way way too late.

Sorry. I should have left this thread alone. But this subject has been the overwhelming obsession in my life for many years now. I can't ignore it like your typical good citizen.

[lostinacause]

4. Good old price controls; creating shortages since...

One of the main reasons America didn't have a big problem with shortages is that gas prices were able to increase in the wake of the lower supply. If the prices were restricted Production would not be rerouted from places like Canada and other suppliers and conservation would have happened to the same degree especially given news about corresponding shortages.

(I should add that I am a Canadian and an economics student. When prices went up I cut my consumption drastically.)

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. With a republican congress? Not on your best day.

[ladylibertee]

10. I think this is a good idea. I hope they take it into serious consideration

[texpatriot2004]

12. Thank you Dorgan and Dayton n/t