Carolinas Gas Prices Back Off a Penny Tuesday

AAA Fuel Gauge reports drivers in the Upstate are paying just below the record high price for regular gas following Hurricane Ike's damage along the Gulf coast.

The average price for regular unleaded fuel is $4.09 Tuesday morning after setting a new record of $4.10 on Monday.

The latest data from the Energy Information Administration shows 14 refineries in Texas and Louisiana that are shut down ahead of Hurricane Ike. These 14 refineries have about 20 percent of U.S. operable capacity. As of September 15, 11 refineries were running at a reduced rate.

At this time, most refineries are reporting limited or no significant damage, but more assessments will be made over the next few days.

State Attorneys General still taking reports on suspected price gouging

The South Carolina Attorney General has invoked the state's price gouging prohibition statute. Henery McMaster says price gouging for gasoline and other commodities constitutes an unfair trade practice and a criminal misdemeanor.

The Attorney General is asking if you have witnessed a potential violation, please notify his office immediately. The Attorney General has established a special email address for this purpose:

GasPrices@SCAttorneyGeneral.com

You can also call (803) 734-3970 for more information.

The South Carolina Attorney
General's office has received about 800 phone calls since Friday and 1689 emails to the special price-gouging email address. That does not include calls to local law enforcement or Consumer Affairs.

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office will be documenting information provided by citizens in response to price gouging of gasoline. Anyone wishing to report price gouging should contact the Sheriff's Office at (864) 271-5210.

Gov. Mike Easley also declared a state of "abnormal market disruption" and signed an order allowing the North Carolina attorney general to enforce the state's anti-gouging law. Those who want to report possible price gouging should contact:

N.C. Attorney General's Office
Consumer Protection Division
Phone: 877-566-7226

The attorney general can sue merchants if state officials find that gas stations have excessively inflated prices.

Toal authorizes video hearings to save on travel

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Chief Justice Jean Toal has issued an order allowing bail hearings, guilty pleas and preliminary hearings in magistrate and municipal courts to be handled through videoconferencing from jails.

The State newspaper reported that Toal cited the sharp increase in fuel costs and limited financial resources in counties for the order Monday.

Inmates no longer have to be taken from jails to magistrate and municipal courts, which should save thousands of dollars in fuel costs. Magistrate and municipal court judges generally try crimes with a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. They also conduct bail and preliminary hearings for more serious crimes.

Rosalyn Frierson with the state Office of Court Administration said 11 counties already use videoconferencing for hearings.

Information from: The State

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)