Tesoro to freeze
gas prices amid
mainland increases

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Star-Bulletin staff

Motorists across the nation and in Hawaii are lining up at gas stations in greater numbers in the aftermath of yesterday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

The situation is particularly bad in the Midwest, where distribution bottlenecks were already in place and some stations, according to Associated Press, were charging up to $5 a gallon for unleaded gas.

Some of the bigger oil companies said they will freeze their prices and keep supply steady to ease consumer fears. The notice reportedly appears to have had minimal effect so far.

Locally, Tesoro Hawaii said yesterday it is freezing gas prices at all of its 33 company-operated stations on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.

Another major Hawaii supplier of gasoline, Chevron Corp., has not issued a statement about its local prices.

The company doesn't foresee any shortage of supply in the state, said spokesman Albert Chee. "We have been operating normal," he said. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely."

The state Civil Defense agency has issued no warnings about high demand for gasoline, and doesn't plan to, a spokesman said.