Moore aware of gas complaints
By By William F. West / community editor
Feb. 23, 2003
The bottom line from state Attorney General Mike Moore's office is that they are more than aware of high gasoline prices in Mississippi but can't do anything about it.
Moore's office has a division of consumer protection led by Deanne Mosley.
Mosley, 33, a Meridian native, has been with Moore's office as a general counsel since 1999. She was named to head the consumer protection division last month.
It's hardly the first time Moore's office has been hearing complaints about gas prices.
On 9/11, Moore's office received a public outcry about price gouging. That prompted Moore to ask Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to issue a state of emergency prohibiting any further gas price increases.
Moore also ordered an investigation and conducted hearings.
His probe concluded that there were wholesaler distributors who did drastically raise prices based on unfounded reports of possible fuel depot shutdowns or the imposition of daily fuel supply limits.
In April 2002, Moore announced that 19 wholesalers had agreed to contribute more than $30,000 to the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Death Benefits Trust Fund. The fund provides money to families of law enforcement officers or firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.
Wholesalers also contributed nearly $38,000 to various 9/11 relief funds.
Mosley said Moore was able to act at that time because of state laws against price gouging that also give the attorney general the power to take action in a state of emergency.
But Mosley said: "We're certainly sympathetic to the problems that consumers are facing with rising gasoline prices."
Mosley said the telephone calls "pretty much are just people frustrated with the rising prices, particularly with the timing of it and they're just looking for someone that can take some kind of action."
