March 1, 2005

Washington, DC – Today, Senator Gordon Smith wrote to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras requesting that she open an investigation into accusations of diesel fuel price gouging in Oregon. Smith is chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Trade, Tourism and Economic Development which has jurisdiction over the FTC.

“It has come to my attention that over the past few weeks the price of diesel fuel has drastically increased in Oregon,” Smith wrote. “Some regions in my state have reported as much as a 60 cent-per-gallon increase. There appears to be no disruption in service or supply that would account for this increase. Because many consumers and businesses are affected by this price increase, I respectfully request that the Federal Trade Commission conduct an investigation into the increase in diesel fuel prices on the West Coast, and in particular the Pacific Northwest.”

Smith further requested that the FTC report to him with the preliminary results of the investigation by Friday March 11, 2005.

“The livelihoods of many Oregonians are closely tied to fuel prices,” Smith said. “If anything improper is going on, we need to know about it now and put an end to it.”

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