‘Hot’ gas is hot topic in courts and Congress

< Prev | 1 | 2

Pump pulse

Getty Images

Check latest gas prices in your state

INTERACTIVE

Gas prices across the United States
State-by-state look at prices at the pump.

“People are paying for gasoline they’re not getting,” said Kucinich, who is running for president.

Lawmakers don’t have to look very far for possible solutions.

In frigid Canada, where cold temperatures were giving consumers an edge, many gas stations voluntarily backed a program to add pumps that automatically adjust volumes based on temperature.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

During the energy crisis in the 1970s, tropical Hawaii decided to set a base fuel temperature of 80 degrees, meaning that consumers there get more bang for their buck because retailers now dispense 234 cubic inches of gas per gallon rather than 231.

The federal government is considering a similar change as well. The National Conference on Weights and Measures is to vote in July on whether to allow temperature regulation by retailers.

The upcoming decision is worrying some fuel distributors, who say the new equipment could force some independent dealers out of business. NATSO, a trade group representing truck stop owners, estimates that each retrofitted pump could cost between $1,500 to $3,800.

“The average truck stop has 20 pumps,” said Mindy Long, a spokeswoman for the group. “The burden on them would be phenomenal.”

NATSO and other gas retailers have formed a group called PUMP — the Partnership for Uniform Marketing Practices — which is calling for more studies on the issue before taking any action.

They have a powerful ally in Rep. Bart Gordon, the Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Committee on Science and Technology. In a May letter to the National Academy of Sciences, he suggested the idea of retrofitting pumps may be “premature.”

The trucking companies and motorists behind the lawsuits hope they could force politicians to act quicker.

“You’re not getting as much as what you’re paying for, really,” said Rittenhouse, the north Georgia motorist. “Most folks don’t have a clue. But it’s costing them.”