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Office of the Attorney General
Governor Beshear and Attorney General Conway take action to protect Kentucky consumers from price gouging
In response to the dramatic spike in gas prices overnight, Gov. Steve Beshear today signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency to prevent price gouging in the commonwealth. Under this order, the governor can apply Chapter 367 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes to implement provisions of the law aimed at protecting the citizens of Kentucky from predatory pricing by unscrupulous providers, including but not limited to gasoline and building supplies.
“I am outraged by the voracious practices of price gouging we are seeing,” said Gov, Beshear. “Today, I have taken an extraordinary step to protect the consumers of the commonwealth from these predators.”
The emergency declaration, issued before Hurricane Ike hits the coast, triggers several consumer protection measures. Among them, it empowers the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute, where appropriate, those who sell gasoline, building supplies and other goods for predatory pricing in a time of disaster.
Gov. Beshear and Attorney General Jack Conway have partnered to make aggressive consumer protection a priority, launching an investigation earlier this summer into high gas prices in Louisville.
“Today, I formally requested that Gov. Beshear implement the price gouging protections of Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act as they apply to gasoline and other goods and services. We have received an overwhelming influx of reports from across Kentucky regarding gasoline price spikes and even rationing. I felt it was important to get the price gouging protections in place as soon as possible to protect the commonwealth’s consumers and businesses,” General Conway said.
Due to the overwhelming call volume they are experiencing, the Attorney General’s Office encourages anyone with specific information regarding the activities of particular gasoline stations or other retail outlets to contact them at gaspricecomplaints@ag.ky.gov.
Click here to view Attorney General Conway's letter to Governor Beshear and the Governor's Executive Order.
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