USVI Fuel Prices About 19% Above National Average as Lawmakers Allege Gas Station Collusion

Several Virgin Islands lawmakers accused gas stations of colluding to keep fuel prices high during a legislative hearing Monday, but the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs declined to reach that conclusion while its territorywide pricing investigation remains underway. DLCA Assistant Commissioner Horace Graham told the Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture that Virgin Islands consumers are paying “substantially more at the pump than their mainland counterparts,” and that the department has observed retail fuel price increases exceeding increases in wholesale acquisition costs across every fuel category. Still, Graham emphasized that DLCA “has not concluded that any retailer engaged in unlawful pricing conduct.” The department hopes to present preliminary findings from its investigation “within the next 90 days,” provided there are no additional delays. Lawmakers Point to Possible Collusion Committee Chairman Sen. Hubert Frederick and Sen. Clifford Joseph bot...