LINCOLN, Neb. Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning said yesterday that he has created a task force to examine possible gasoline price gouging in the Cornhusker State.
The experts forming the task force will conduct a comprehensive investigation of gasoline pricing throughout the industry. The members of the panel are Dr. Ernie Goss, Professor Edward Morse and Dr. Eric Thompson.
The task force will look at the following issues:
The reasons for recent increases in the price of gasoline and diesel fuel in Nebraska. The reasons [image-nocss] for differences in prices in different parts of the state. Both retail and wholesale markets. The supply chain from ground to gas tank. The correlations between market disruptions and price movements.Gas pricing affects us in so many ways, from the cost of heat in the winter to the cost of your morning cup of coffee that had to be shipped in to your grocery store, said Bruning. We just want to make sure companies are operating above board when they determine their gasoline prices.
The result of the report, which will include surveying all 1,600 retail gas stations in the state, may result in charges being brought by the attorney general's office related to price gouging, Bruning said.
The panel has agreed to volunteer their time. They expect to have conclusions and release their findings by the end of the year. Ernie Goss is the Jack MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University. Edward Morse holds the McGrath, North, Mullin & Kratz endowed chair in Business Law at Creighton University School of Law. Eric Thompson is the Director of the Bureau of Business Research and an associate Professor of Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.