New Jersey motorists suspicious of price gouging as gas prices remain high
New Jersey motorists complain of price gouging as gas prices remain high
The division of Consumer Affairs reports that they received more complaints in one month then they've received in the past two years. As of Thursday, the price for a gallon of regular fuel in New Jersey sat around $4.19 which is a tick below the national average of $4.22, per AAA.
CAMDEN - If you’ve driven anywhere in 2022 you may have noticed that the price you’re paying at the pump, is a far cry from what it was just a year ago.
In New Jersey, where prices are sometimes less than Pennsylvania, some are reporting gas stations price gouging customers.
The division of Consumer Affairs reports that they received more complaints in one month then they've received in the past two years.
"High prices alone may not constitute a violation, but we encourage consumers who suspect excessive price increases at the pump or any other form of consumer abuse, to file an online complaint," Division of Consumer Affairs Public Information Officer Gema de las Heras said.
As of Thursday, the price for a gallon of regular fuel in New Jersey sat around $4.19 which is a tick below the national average of $4.22, per AAA.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular fuel in Pennsylvania was $4.42 on Monday. Driver in New Jersey paid $4.33 per gallon, and Delaware's gas prices sat at $4.21 on average.
"We try to carpool, we try to just keep things local a little bit and just do our best to save from making extra trips," one New Jersey small business worker said.
President Biden announced actions today to help Americans at the pump by ordering gas companies to use idle wells or face a fine from the government.
"Right now, oil and gas industries are sitting on nearly 9000 unused but approved permits for production on federal lands are more than a million unused acres they have a right to pump on, families can't afford that company sit on their hands," President Biden said.
A more immediate step he announced is the releasing of one million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve. what he calls a wartime bridge to increase oil supply over the next six months.
"It's by far the largest release of our national reserve in our history," Biden claimed. "It will provide a historic amount of supply for a historic amount of time."
Meanwhile, frustrated drivers hope the lofty prices fall as quickly as they've risen, but they're not optimistic.
"You have to drive, they know that, so they’re just going to keep doing it," one New Jersey driver said.
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