| Releases & Statements
Today, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum
made good on her promise to introduce legislation requiring gas
stations to regularly report gas prices to the Department of Consumer
Affairs (DCA). DCA would make the information available on the
City’s web site so residents could compare prices in their
neighborhoods or by zip code.
The bill is designed to foster competition,
which could result in lower prices. According to a study conducted
by the National Association of Convenience Stores, 40 percent
of drivers will go to a different gas station in order to save
just a few dollars. The bill would also help DCA regulate unscrupulous
gas station owners who are gouging New Yorkers at the pump.
“This bill is for all the New
Yorkers who have to take their cars to work every day,”
Gotbaum said. “If they can avoid the gas station that charges
$3.60 a gallon and find one on their way to work that charges
$2.90 a gallon, they’ll save $7 for every ten gallons. A
few dollars may not seem like much, but it can mean a lot to a
working family.”
Gotbaum is also co-sponsoring legislation
proposed by Council Member John Liu requiring gas stations to
sell gas only at the prices it has posted and to fix those prices
for a minimum of twenty-four hours.
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