LinkageFrom the article:
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether gasoline price profiteering has occurred and if oil companies have constrained refinery capacity to manipulate fuel prices, an agency official said Wednesday.
"A determination that unlawful conduct has occurred will result in aggressive law enforcement activity by the FTC," John Seesel, an FTC associate general counsel, told a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.
The FTC is responding to language in recently passed energy legislation that requires the agency to probe whether gasoline prices have been manipulated by attempts to reduce refining capacity, Seesel said.
Ferfucksake, you guys... you needed legislation
that specific before you could investigate these jackasses for price fixing?
It's pretty much
common knowledge that they intentionally restrict refining capacity at key times of the year so they can jack prices up.
Why do you think every year for the past four years or so has seen "record profits" for them?
The thing is, FTC investigation or no, I will believe it when I see it. With the current fox watching the henhouse, and the kind of abuse of executive power we've been seeing since that fox took office, any "unlawful conduct" will just as likely get shuffled right under the rug before it results in any prosecution.