Californians Worry Over Hot Fuel
"Consumers are paying through the nose for petrol today, and they’re
really angry," said Public Citizen president Joan Claybrook, who last
week urged consumers to back proposed federal legislation that would
require petrol pumps to take account of fuel’s tendency to expand in
warm temperatures.
Because of the so-called hot-fuel phenomenon, she added, "this summer
just about everyone will be overpaying for the petrol that they
purchase." Claybrook said the temperature hit could cost customers an
extra $3 billion (Bt96 billion) nationwide. In fuel-hungry California,
where the statewide average petrol price passed the $4 per gallon mark
on Thursday, a new survey showed that motorists could be overpaying by
as much as $3.4 million a day during the summer months.
"It’s a significant number, and one that we shouldn’t be paying," said
Judy Dugan, research director at Consumer Watchdog, formerly called the
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "With every rise in the
price of petrol, hot fuel becomes a more important issue." For
consumers and companies struggling with their fuel bills, the added
insult of a hot-fuel penalty is unwelcome.