Complaints about gas stations spiking prices before and after Hurricane Irene top the 30 complaints of price gouging being investigated by the Connecticut attorney general and Department of Consumer Protection.
While the investigations were starting, gasoline prices rose throughout the state on Wednesday for the first time since the storm.
Consumer Protection has received two dozen complaints of excessive profiting on fuel, bottled water and batteries in advance of Sunday’s storm, said DCP spokeswoman Claudette Carveth. DCP can’t provide more information on the complaints as they are allegations at this point.
The Attorney General George Jepsen’s staff has received a half dozen complaints of price gouging, almost all on gasoline, said AG spokeswoman Susan Kinsman
Connecticut state law prohibits a business from excessive raising of prices in advance of an imminent market disruption, such as Irene forcing a shutdown of businesses before and after the storm.
Because many gas stations are closed and still without power, the Attorney General’s Office will continue to monitor excessive profiting on fuel until electricity is restored. The deadline to file complaints on price gouging has been extended to Sept. 6.
In Greater Hartford, the average price per gallon of regular unleaded rose for the first time since Irene made landfall on Sunday, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. From a week ago, the price per gallon was up 0.4 cents on Wednesday to $3.882 per gallon in Greater Hartford.
The largest regional increase in Connecticut is in the New London-Norwich area where prices are up 5.3 cents per gallon from last week to $3.870 per gallon on Wednesday. The southeast region of the state is still largely without power, according to CL&P’s outage map.
