Oil refiners including Chevron, ExxonMobil and BP are being investigated for alleged price fixing based on claims that they colluded to control the supply of gasoline in the western United States.
US law firm Keller Rohrback LLP is taking up the case. The possibility of collusion surfaced in 2012 when senators from Washington, Oregon, and California urged the Department of Justice to investigate refineries after gas prices spiked to $4 and $5 a gallon while the rest of the nation’s prices remained moderate.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking for an immediate investigation to protect California’s consumers.
In 2012, McCullough Research found sudden price shifts created a “windfall” for West Coast refineries. This year, the group Consumer Watchdog released a report that found, among other things, that gasoline consumption has dropped by 8% since 2005, but the price of gas in 2014 averaged 51% higher than in 2005.
The West Coast oil refiners include: Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP West Coast Products, Shell, Valero, ConocoPhillips, Alon, Kern Oil.
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