House Takes Aim At Gas Price Gougers

(AP)  The House, eager to do something about record high gasoline prices in advance of the Memorial Day weekend, voted narrowly Wednesday to approve stiff penalties for those found guilty of gasoline price gouging.

The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department to go after oil companies, traders or retail operators if they take "unfair advantage" or charge "unconscionably excessive" prices for gasoline and other fuels.

The White House called the measure a form of price controls that could result in fuel shortages. It said President Bush would be urged to veto the legislation should it pass Congress.

The bill needed the approval of two-thirds of the members of the House because the leadership considered it under an expedited legislative process. Thus, the 284-141 vote was only one over the threshold for passage. A similar measure is being considered by the Senate.

The bill would for the first time create a federal law making energy price gouging illegal. It would cover not only gasoline, but also other fuels such as natural gas and heating oil.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., its chief sponsor, in urging his colleagues to support the bill said the issue was whether "to side with Big Oil (or) ... side with consumers who are being ripped off at the gas pump."

But Stupak was forced to soften the bill so that he could get it passed by requiring a president to first declare an energy emergency before the anti-gouging law could be enforced. Oil-state Democrats had wanted such limits.

The bill calls for criminal penalties of up to $150 million for corporations and up to $2 million and a jail sentence of up to 10 years for individuals found to be engaged in price gouging.

Opponents said the legislation was too vague and amounts to price controls.

"I don't know what `unconscionably excessive' means," Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, complained, referring to a phrase that would trigger a price gouging prosecution.

Barton said today's high gasoline prices are the result of supply and demand and not price gouging. "Demand has gone up and supply has not gone up. ... and the price has gone up," said Barton.

The White House said the administration "strongly opposes" the bill and the president would be urged to veto it if it passes Congress.

It "would harm consumers, the very people the bill is touted to protect," said a White House statement to lawmakers. It said price gouging legislation would amount to "price controls and in some cases bring back long gas lines reminiscent of the 1970s."

Oil company lobbyists have argued that when there are tight markets and rising prices, a vague gouging definition would inhibit refiners and retailers from adding supplies for fear of being taken to court.

"Mom and Pop grocer and gasoline station owners can't wonder what every court is going to decide," said Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the minority whip. He said the law would create "undue hardship for ... people trying to make a living."

But the bill's supporters argued that states can't combat energy price gouging, leaving motorists at the whim of arbitrary oil company pricing. Twenty-nine states currently have energy price gouging laws, but they vary in detail and under in terms of what conditions would trigger them.

[marikashaub]

I'm so upset about rising gas prices. The House took a good first step - but Congress needs to do more to protect the consumers against big oil price gouging. Join 400,000 others and sign the petition asking Congress to protect Americans against rip-offs here: (Link: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2607)

[kailumego1]

This government, the media [CBS, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, etc, and major public institutions, which is run by capitalist imperialist, have absolutely no desire whatsoever to democratize Iraq or any other struggling country, but for its own economic gain.
Individuals posting here on this site are often censored, because he/she doesn%u2019t "buy into" or agree with this Capitalist Imperialist propaganda or antiquate racist ideology.
In order to get "correct, reliable, and trustworthy" news coverage on any subject you have to listen to an NPR station, or research on the Internet, because the media is own by capitalist imperialist that will "never" allow the "real" truth to be uncovered. The media placates to the conservative majority%u2019s racist %u201CSocial Darwinian%u201D views and will violate Constitutionality for those who oppose a majority%u2019s viewpoint.
In reality there is no %u201C1st Amendment%u201D right to %u201Cfree-speech%u201D , because those who vehemently oppose the %u201Cstatus-quo%u2019s%u201D hegemonic ideology are covertly and overtly sanctioned.

So, unless the rational thinking Americans, white, black, Hispanic, etc.rise up in vehemence, Bush/Cheney and the rest of the Republican ideologues are going to send us into the poverty.

[lmturman]

Bush/Cheney are going to send us into a depression. What about people making min. wage $5.25-7. hourly and have to get to work; you might as well stay home and get welfare. This is so ridiculous! Who can an ordinary citizen write/petition.
On top of all that why do the prices never go back down? Even after the refineries are fixed they will still may us pay $4.00/gallon. This is also going to drive crime up.

[kailumego1]

It was a %u201Ccrock of bull %u201Cthen just as it is a %u201Ccrock%u201D today, these capitalist imperialists and Eurocentric/American [Republican] racists view countries such as in the Middle-East, Africa, Southern Asia, South America, etc. and their inhabitants as inferiors, which their motives today just as yesterday has not been to help or democratize, civilize, industrialize, modernize, but to exploit resources, raw materials, labor and production, while ruthlessly controlling their market system, through imperialistic hegemony.
The %u201Ccrooks%u201D are not OPEC, Iraq, Iran, etc., but Bush, Cheney, Republican %u201CExtremist%u201D, and other narrow-minded myopic Americans who embrace %u201CSocial Darwinian%u201D ideology. The real shame is that rational thinking Americans, Europeans, etc. are paying the price financially for this antiquated racist ideology that has dragged on repetitively.
It%u2019s going to take those rational thinking Americans to rise up to %u201Cboycott%u201D and protest the government all the way to the White House, in order to get this matter resolved, because the Republican %u201CExtremist%u201D and %u201CSocial Darwinian%u201D philosophers will always defend and rationalize corporate America%u2019s behavior, it is in their best interest.

[realpatriot1]

ralan40,

The entire government knew that Sadaam had WMD at one time because we provided it.

Congress and the Democrats authorized Bush to use force to find WMD and,if necessary to do so, to remove Sadaam. Once Bush got that authority he circumvented the weapons inspection proces which Iraq was grudgingly but technically complying with. He didn't use the authority that Congress gave him in the manner that it was intended, he went well beyond his authority.

Only the administration decided to occupy the country after Sadaam was reomoved, to disband the Iraqi army, to make it a model for Middle East deomocracy( ha ha), and to make reconstruction a no-bid economic program for the company that the Veep still holds stock in. None of that was ever authorized by anyone but the Fuhrer.

The blame is entirely his. Democrats tried to warn
him and his supporters. We still are and you all still want to stay the course right into oblivion.

[windstar421]

no i am telling the truth my friend came back from iraq he was over there for 18 months. he told me and other people he works for that the gas was 5 to 10 cents a gallon. he is also a church of god pastor.and i know he don't lie.

[ralan40]

HA HA, boy that Democrat-majority House is really cleaning house. Better to blame Bush for the War...accuse him of lying when the senior democrats had the same info GWB had. By the way...how many senior Congressional Democrats voted for the war before they voted against it??
The president can't do much without congressional backing. Its called "Checks and Balances".

Perhaps those of you living in "Conspirecyville" should look that up yourself instead of vomiting media blurbs from the spoonfed junk you call "news". You say Bush is stupid, yet endow him with cunning and power he just doesn't possess.
So you say George Bush lied, look who he fooled whith his secret 'cunning powers'. Obama is lucky, untouched by all that voted for the war thing. No wonder the Democrats moved him to the head of the class.

[grazinggoat]

The key is to continue to insist on better behavior from our leaders, insist without despairing, continue to push them firmly despite how difficult it may seem.
Posted by SharnCedar at 11:04 PM : May 23, 2007

-bring some of them to justice and set an example of accountability. Being president doesn't mean being Empror. The advantages are counter-balanced by judgemental governing.

[sharncedar]

" The only problem is that since the 1940's the military technology is so great as to make it completely impossible for the people to overturn its current governmentby force"

The most likely rebellion will be the military seizing power through a coup after a prolonged period of chaos brought on by monetary collapse brought on by political chaos and an inability to collect taxes from a unruly populace.

Another scenario is something like Oliver Cromwell who began his rebellion from within the military, ceratinly soon our soldiers will be bitter and disillusioned, probably quite angry at the betrayal when they come back and realize they have een used and are not appreciated by greedy business America.

However be careful what you wish for - rebellions tend to be ugly and worse for ordinary people than the better solution, which is an incremental and orderly improvement in ethics and honesty of our government. That is slower, may even take generations, but is a better solution. The key is to continue to insist on better behavior from our leaders, insist without despairing, continue to push them firmly despite how difficult it may seem.

[markbrookhar]

Politicians do not go to jail when they commit crime. That is the greatest crime of all, that our leaders are not held accountable to the same standards they create for us. This is the stuff that used to push people to insurrection, rebellion and revolution. The only problem is that since the 1940's the military technology is so great as to make it completely impossible for the people to overturn its current governmentby force. The only hope is to vote and not for one of the guilty "parties" i.e. republican or democrat, but an independant candidate. Until the American people are willing and able to do that, we will continue to be used to increase the wealth and power of the ruling parties.