Gas prices have remained the same since Sept. 11, but fears of anincrease sent many to the pumps, but shortly after the terrorist attacks on
New York and Washington, D.C, rumors of gas station closings and rising
prices became numerous.
In a press release Friday Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore called
on gasoline businesses to turn over any excess profits that they might have
made subsequent to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
“While our investigation is not complete, we have been able to
determine that wholesalers, distributors, and retailers raised the gas prices
10 to 50 cents and higher at the pumps on gas that they already paid for at
a lower price. Some in the gasoline business may have believed they would
have to replenish their gas supplies with higher priced gas. It now appears
that most of the major companies, terminals, and distributors rescinded
their proposed price increases and returned to normal pricing,” Moore said.
This action leaves Mississippi consumers being over-charged for
gasoline on Sept. 11 and sometime afterward until prices returned to
normal.
This could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in excess
profits out of the pockets of Mississippi consumers.”
A hearing is scheduled on Sept. 26 in Jackson “to explore how and why
this problem occurred, who is responsible, how much the excess profits
should be, what method should be used to collect the monies owed Mississippi
consumers, and how those funds would be distributed,” Mike Moore said in a
press release Tuesday.
Thursday the attorney general’s office talked directly with BP Oil and
other major oil companies who assured that there is plenty of supply
available for the foreseeable future, and most agreed that there is no
reason for a price increase.
Moore’s office also met with the executive director and members of
the Mississippi Petroleum Marketing Association to explain the law to them
so there will be consistency in its application. The MPMA showed cooperation
from most of its members.
Investigators continue to interview retailers and wholesalers for claims
of high prices of gasoline. If these investigations produce evidence of price
gouging, prosecutions will result. Numerous complaints of $3, $4 and $5 gas
prices were received,and prices as high as $3 have been confirmed. That
retailer is refunding money at this time and has lowered his prices.The big
rumor in Starkville was the complete loss of gas. Nysha Yeates was
working at the Shell Sprint Mart on Blackjack Road on the day of the attack
on America.
“People came in and started talking about shutting the pumps down at
5 p.m. nationwide” she said.
It became crowded about noon, she recalled, and at 4 p.m. the pumps
were full. “Cars were lined up in every direction,” Yeates said.
“They were scared to let you take their spot,” she added. It took 30
minutes for her to leave.
Starkville Police Capt. David Lindley said the gas scare was a result of
“rumors feeding on rumors.” His office never told anyone that pumps would
be shut down.
Mississippi State University senior Brooke Bliss arrived at the Exxon on
Highway 12 at 3:30 p.m., but didn’t reach the pump until 4:15.
“It’s such a sad story because we all fell for it,” Bliss said.
Probably fifteen people told her to go to the pumps. Bliss said that her
mother told her the prices were going up and pumps would close for a really
long time.
“It was insane,” said Eddy Devroede of working the cashier’s booth Sept. 11
at the Murphy USA gas station at Wal-mart.
A fax from the corporate office came in that morning telling
employees to be ready for anything due to the tragedy, and it would be
business as usual.
At noon cars were “jumping like rabbits,” said Devroede and at least
100 vehicles were in the surrounding lot at one time. They were “in and out,
in and out,” he said.
The phone rang off the hook with people asking about closure and cost
while Devroede ran the booth by himself. The two big questions were “Are
you gonna close” and “Are the prices going up?” At least half the customers
were filling up extra containers beside their vehicles.
“People were very orderly, very nice,” Devroede said.
All 12 pumps were in use and cars stretched back to the highway.
Eventually Walmart managers and employees had to guide traffic.
“If it wasn’t for them it would have been a lot worse,” said
Devroede.Shawn Dixson, co-manager at Wal-mart, came from his lunch break
around 1:15 p.m. and realized a traffic jam was approaching. He took six
managers outside because of lineup to the highway.
“I thanked them all I could,” Devroede said.
Some Wal-mart employees filled up at lunch, but there was no trouble
of employees wanting to leave.
“We knew we had plenty of gas and the prices weren’t going up,”
Dixson said.
MSU sophomore Josh Blades said “I needed gas or else I wouldn’t have
gone at all.”
Blades visited the B.P gas station on University Drive and vehicles
waiting to use the pump filled a lane of the road.
“It was ridiculous,” he said and did not plan on waiting in line.
Blades heard prices were going up, and even that gas was $5 per gallon in
Tupelo, but didn’t care.
“I wasn’t waiting that long,” he said and “there wasn’t enough gas to
wait. I was on fumes.”
Blades returned to the pumps later that evening.
“Everybody was just panicking for nothing,” Yeates said.
It was $1.39 per gallon at her station Friday, just the same as three
days before.
“We overreacted,” Bliss said. She felt that people’s reaction to the
tragedy just “added to the drama.”
Devroede has been worked at the Walmart gas station since April. The
days after were the slowest he had seen since working there.
“I guess everybody was stocked up,” he said.