AG: gas prices due to closed refinery

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WANE) - Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is working to ensure that Hoosiers aren’t being illegally gouged at the gas pump. Zoeller said his office has been monitoring prices and determined the recent spike is due to a drop in the region’s oil supply after one refinery in Illinois shut down and three others partially closed.

“While prices at the pump have increased so have our office’s efforts to monitor and track fluctuations,” Zoeller said. “It appears that this latest hike is a direct impact of the supply chain being disrupted. It is our hope that once these refineries come back online Hoosiers will start to see a lower price on the retail level.”

According to AAA on Thursday, Indiana has the 7th highest gas prices in the nation at an average of $3.78 per gallon. Ohio has the 12th highest prices.

So far this month, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office received 65 complaints related to gas prices - with more than 90 percent of those complaints submitted this week alone. Zoeller said this month’s spike in gas price related complaints is the highest number the office has received in 2012.

For more information about how the Attorney General's Office tracks gas prices, visit www.indianaconsumer.com and click on "Gasoline Prices" in the menu.