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About a dozen gasoline station proprietors and their supporters rallied at the state Capitol yesterday afternoon to explain their opposition to regulating Hawaii's high gas prices. Gas station proprietors
rally against price capsBy Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.com
Lawmakers are planning to vote today on a measure that would establish maximum wholesale and retail prices of gasoline, starting in July 2004. Under the new law, all isle gas retailers would have a fixed profit margin of 16 cents per gallon of gas. The bill would also cap the amount of rent oil companies could charge dealers, who have steadily been going out of business in Hawaii in the past few years.
Oahu Shell dealer Bill Green accused the state Attorney General's Office of using a bad law to gain leverage on the oil companies. Hilo gas station operator Duke McBeath said he is generally against the government telling businesses what to do. The group claims that 16 cents of profit is not enough for neighbor island dealers to cover their expenses.
But neighbor island dealers have simply gotten accustomed to higher profits, while consumers have paid the price, said Warren Higa, a Makiki Shell dealer who supports the new law.
"Something needs to be done, right? And we shouldn't expect the oil companies to police themselves with pricing because that's not what they're in business for," Higa said. "I hate government regulation -- as a businessman, I don't like it."
But in this case, "I see it as being necessary," Higa said.
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