DOJ urges state attorneys general to investigate alleged illegal gasoline price practices
The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission asked state prosecutors to examine possible antitrust or consumer-protection violations that could be inflating gasoline prices, citing recent statements from the president.
The Justice Department, together with the Federal Trade Commission, sent a letter to state attorneys general urging them to investigate any unlawful conduct that may be contributing to elevated gasoline prices. The correspondence, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. and FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, noted that despite a recent decline in crude-oil prices, the reduction has not been fully reflected at the pump.
The letter referenced a June 24 post on the former president’s social-media platform in which he claimed that major oil companies were not passing on lower wholesale costs to consumers and called for a rapid drop in retail gasoline prices. The administration’s statement said the DOJ is responding to that call and is monitoring petroleum markets closely.
"Affordable energy is essential to a thriving American economy. The Antitrust Division is committed to working alongside state law-enforcement partners to protect consumers from anticompetitive behavior that raises the price of gas," Woodward said.
The DOJ and FTC emphasized that existing antitrust and state consumer-protection statutes remain applicable despite recent volatility in crude-oil markets. They encouraged states to use all legal tools, including price-gouging statutes that some jurisdictions have enacted for market disruptions, to assess whether enforcement action is warranted.
National average regular-gasoline prices fell to $3.823 per gallon as of July 3, down from $4.261 a month earlier, following a period of higher prices after the United States began a military response to Iran earlier in the year.