Gas station operators and the state Attorney General are pushing for legislation to end what they say is unfair pricing for gasoline that makes gas more expensive in some parts of the state than others.
Under the oil company’s current policy of so-called zone pricing, service stations can only buy gasoline from one wholesaler that is determined by their location.
That policy results in a price difference of as much as 25 cents a gallon for certain markets, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.
“The refining companies map out areas and charge dealers different wholesale prices according to secret formulas based on relative wealth, isolation or other factors,” Blumenthal said at a public hearing on the bill, which is being considered by the General Law Committee.
The bill, which would allow dealers to buy from any wholesaler, has been raised for several years but has always been defeated.
“We’re not going away until this issue is fixed,” said Michael Fox, executive director of the Connecticut Gasoline and Service Dealers Association.
In wealthy Fairfield County, where the association is based, consumers are paying 15 cents to 22 cents more than they should for each gallon of gasoline, Fox said.
–Associated Press