What about these looters?

Gas Prices Soar

By Daniela Deane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 1, 2005; 2:33 PM



Gas prices jumped at stations around the country today as gasoline futures surged and crude prices rose in the continuing aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which flooded refineries, shut pipelines and slashed U.S. fuel production by more than 10 percent.

Pump prices rose to just under $6 a gallon at some retail outlets in the south. CNN showed footage of a gas station in Georgia advertising regular gas for $5.87 a gallon.

According to GasPriceWatch.com, which tracks retail gas prices around the country using volunteers, average gas prices in the United States were just under $3 a gallon. Gas topped $3 a gallon Wednesday in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia and Minnesota, according to GasPriceWatch.com.

In the Washington metropolitan area, gas prices rose a nickel a gallon to an average of $2.73 for self-serve regular, according to the American Automobile Association.

"It's a very substantial jump," said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman Lon Anderson. "Outside of this crisis, a nickel jump would be huge. But it's less than we expected."

Officials in Maryland and Virginia said they were monitoring complaints from residents about price gouging. (See related story from Thursday's Washington Post.)

The gas price increases in the wake of the Katrina disaster came on top of a 40 percent rise in gas prices last year, according to Energy Department figures.

Long lines formed at gas stations in some southern cities, causing some local stations to run out of fuel. In Charlotte, N.C., a run on fuel shut up to 40 stations.

Anderson said that at many stations in the Washington area, prices jumped 30, 40 and 50 cents a gallon. Average gas prices in the District were the highest in the area at $2.77 a gallon; average state-wide Virginia prices were $2.62 a gallon and in Maryland, gas prices averaged $2.73 a gallon, according to the AAA.

-----------
Rest of article: Gas Prices Soar

Also, check out Huffington Post and look at the picture of the gas station. Just oil companies taking advantage of a natural disaster. HuffPost