State senators urge attorney general to investigate high gas prices in Alaska

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Alaska State Senate Democrats Scott Kawasaki and Bill Wielechowski are urging Alaska’s Attorney General to investigate potential price gouging in the cost of gas in the state.

According to Kawasaki, an investigation into a 2008 spike in the price of fuel found that refineries were likely charging high margins.

As Alaska’s News Source reported last week, refineries on the west coast closed down temporarily for maintenance and prices were expected to ease soon.

However, Kawasaki said an investigation would help ease Alaskans’ concerns. ”There are many constituents, people, who are filling up their tanks. My tank, in fact, I got filled up today. It’s the most I’ve ever spent on a tank. I think people want answers,” he said.

“The value, once again, of having an attorney general’s investigation is that they can look into that and make a determination based on price factors, price of oil, price of crude, price of labor and transportation and make a determination if there is, in fact, some sort of price gouging going on,” Kawasaki added.

The Department of Law said in a statement it will reach out to Senators Kawasaki and Wielechowski about their concerns.

The department went on to say it cannot disclose its investigations, or most things learned from them, except in the event that a lawsuit is filed. Alaska has no law dealing with price gouging, limiting the department’s options when looking at these allegations.

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