Issue Position: Responsible Business

Issue Position

During the week of October 10th, I drove to Montpelier and noticed that at our local New North End gas station, fuel was $3.49 per gallon. Upon my arrival in Montpelier I found gasoline readily available at most stations for significantly less-as low as 3.28 per gallon.

Each of those bright shiny tankers transport a maximum 10,600 gallons of gasoline due to weight restrictions imposed by VT law.

To say with a straight face that it costs Cumberland Farms or Maplefields .20/gallon to drive the 40 some miles up the interstate to Burlington???? Sorry, NOT buying it!! This is price gouging of North Western Vermont residents pure and simple.

Our market is dominated by about three dealer / wholesalers who may not collude, but seem to agree by telepathy or something that prices should be artificially high in Chittenden county. Most of our neighborhood stations are actually owned by these corporations and then leased to local operators-but the price they charge for fuel is dictated by the supplier. Our local business owner gets paid a few cents to pump the gas.

I know I have placed this discussion under the heading of Responsible Business and this discussion may be a stretch, but.....

The greatest shot in the arm for economic recovery possible for North Western Vermont would be for Mr Maplefields and his friends to take their hands out of our pockets and allow some extra cash flow to other businesses in our communities.

Competition is the key to a healthy economy, and in this market I fully support the COSTCO initiative to break the strangle hold we are under at the pump.

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