EKB News

WEST VIRGINIA....
West Virginia has a law which forbids raising prices of necessary goods and services by more than 10 percent of what they were 10 days before an emergency. When President Barack Obama declared a national emergency last year because of swine flu, the Marathon Petroleum Co. was forced to hold the line on gas prices in West Virginia. Thirty-nine states have price-gouging laws, but West Virginia's law is one of the few that carry potential criminal and civil penalties. Marathon officials have several suggestions, including some sort of mechanism to ensure businesses are not punished for price increases inside an emergency area if they are consistent with those outside the area, giving the governor the authority to enact price controls, having a list of goods affected by the order which should expire after 30 days unless the governor renews it, and decriminalize the law because it creates uncertainty, particularly for small business owners. Marathon is urging lawmakers to change the law.