TheHumanAlphabet
12/15/2006, 03:33 PM
People suing for "hot fuel" saying you pay for more than delivered...
U.S. motorists sue Big Oil over "hot fuel"By Timothy Gardner 15 December, 2006Reuters News432 Words(c) 2006 Reuters Limited NEW YORK, Dec 14 (Reuters) - U.S. truck and car drivers have sued 17 oil companies and gasoline and diesel retailers claiming their service stations overcharge at the pump for fuel that's hotter than an industry standard.
The class action lawsuit filed by motorists from seven states on Wednesday claims retailers for decades have sold "hot fuel" in warm locations and in the summer that cuts vehicle mileage and costs consumers $2 billion per year.
The suit centers on a nearly 100-year-old agreement between industry and regulators that fuel should be sold at a standard of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius).
Like all liquids, fuel swells when outside temperatures warm it. The suit claims the swelling cheats consumers because the fuel then contains less energy per gallon, cutting vehicle mileage.
"The cost is much more severe and immediate for independent truckers, who must regularly fill their trucks' large tanks as part of their livelihood," Joan Claybrook, president of Washington-based consumer advocate group Public Citizen told reporters on a conference call.
Consumers in warm states such as Florida and Texas suffer the problem more often, she said. In fact, the Texas legislature is considering a bill that would require retailers to cool fuel before selling it.
Hawaii has adjusted the standard volume of the fuel sold at service stations to account for temperatures since the 1970s.
John Bisney, a spokesman for oil industry group the American Petroleum Institute said the organization had no comment on the litigation.
But he said, "When you buy a gallon of gas, you buy a gallon of gas. Sometimes you get a little more, sometimes you get a little less."
The cost of installing any equipment that might cool the fuel would probably be passed onto consumers and negate any mileage gains from the temperature change, he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
The class-action lawsuit charges the petroleum retailers with breach of sales contract and consumer fraud and seeks relief for motor fuel consumers in the states of California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia.
The plaintiffs, who are suing oil companies including Alon USA, Inc., Chevron Corp. , ConocoPhillips , and Valero Energy Corp. seeks monetary restitution for consumers.
They also want oil companies and retailers to either add automatic temperate adjusting equipment to pumps at their service stations, or to post signs that say they haven't.
EDIT: Okay, apparently Texans aren't hillbillies, but you Okies are...
U.S. motorists sue Big Oil over "hot fuel"By Timothy Gardner 15 December, 2006Reuters News432 Words(c) 2006 Reuters Limited NEW YORK, Dec 14 (Reuters) - U.S. truck and car drivers have sued 17 oil companies and gasoline and diesel retailers claiming their service stations overcharge at the pump for fuel that's hotter than an industry standard.
The class action lawsuit filed by motorists from seven states on Wednesday claims retailers for decades have sold "hot fuel" in warm locations and in the summer that cuts vehicle mileage and costs consumers $2 billion per year.
The suit centers on a nearly 100-year-old agreement between industry and regulators that fuel should be sold at a standard of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius).
Like all liquids, fuel swells when outside temperatures warm it. The suit claims the swelling cheats consumers because the fuel then contains less energy per gallon, cutting vehicle mileage.
"The cost is much more severe and immediate for independent truckers, who must regularly fill their trucks' large tanks as part of their livelihood," Joan Claybrook, president of Washington-based consumer advocate group Public Citizen told reporters on a conference call.
Consumers in warm states such as Florida and Texas suffer the problem more often, she said. In fact, the Texas legislature is considering a bill that would require retailers to cool fuel before selling it.
Hawaii has adjusted the standard volume of the fuel sold at service stations to account for temperatures since the 1970s.
John Bisney, a spokesman for oil industry group the American Petroleum Institute said the organization had no comment on the litigation.
But he said, "When you buy a gallon of gas, you buy a gallon of gas. Sometimes you get a little more, sometimes you get a little less."
The cost of installing any equipment that might cool the fuel would probably be passed onto consumers and negate any mileage gains from the temperature change, he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
The class-action lawsuit charges the petroleum retailers with breach of sales contract and consumer fraud and seeks relief for motor fuel consumers in the states of California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia.
The plaintiffs, who are suing oil companies including Alon USA, Inc., Chevron Corp. , ConocoPhillips , and Valero Energy Corp. seeks monetary restitution for consumers.
They also want oil companies and retailers to either add automatic temperate adjusting equipment to pumps at their service stations, or to post signs that say they haven't.
EDIT: Okay, apparently Texans aren't hillbillies, but you Okies are...