Media Release: Contact:
October 7, 2008 Joel Miller, Linda Pence for Attorney General
(317) 750-5757
Linda Pence applauds bipartisan effort to investigate high gas prices
Renews call for Attorney General's office to step up and protect Hoosier families
Indianapolis - Attorney General candidate Linda Pence today issued the following statement regarding the Commission on State Tax and Financing Policy's upcoming meeting to examine gas prices in Indiana. On September 17, 2008, Pence questioned the Attorney General's office as to why they had failed to investigate high gas prices after the average price of gasoline hit $4.17, marking a sudden and across-the-board increase in the state.
"I applaud the Commission's bipartisan effort to investigate high gas prices because until now, no one has stepped forward to take a long, hard look at why. The Attorney General is the one public official who could - and should - investigate, but the office could only offer a telephone message that told Hoosiers who called the gas price gouging hotline that it was not the Attorney General's responsibility.
As Attorney General, I'll take a more aggressive and vocal role vocal role to investigate price gouging, price fixing and potential anti-trust violations. If gas prices skyrocket on my watch, I'll launch a serious investigation into the pricing practices of gasoline and publicly pursue complaints in order to deter oil companies from trying to reap more money at the expense of Hoosiers.
Despite my calls for an investigation by the Attorney General's Office a month ago, they have been silent on this issue. I sincerely hope during their testimony on Wednesday that they will report to the people of Indiana what they have done to ensure that the Hoosiers are protected and not being treated differently than any other state in the country, and make known what - if any - lawsuits have been filed."
Linda Pence has a proven record fighting oil companies. During her nine years at the Department of Justice, she took on big oil companies when gasoline prices skyrocketed. She also successfully stood up for Central Indiana mom-and-pop gas station owners against Shell Oil, a multinational corporation, in a complex case that involved claims of unlawful price discrimination, violation of the Indiana Deceptive Franchise Practices Act, breach of contract and fraud.
To learn more about Linda Pence and her campaign for Attorney General, please visit www.lindapence.net.
###
Paid for by Indiana Democratic Party. www.indems.org. Not authorized by any candidate or canddiate's party.
