Connecticut’s gasoline price-gouging protections are in force through Oct. 22 after state energy officials again found that wholesale fuel prices met the statutory threshold for an “abnormal market disruption.” The Attorney General’s Office posted the new Sept. 22-to-Oct. 22 window, during which sellers may not offer motor gasoline or gasohol at an unconscionably excessive price.
The designation does not freeze prices or make every costly gallon illegal. Under Connecticut law, evidence of a violation can include a gross disparity from the seller’s ordinary pre-disruption price that cannot be explained by higher costs. The rule applies across the supply chain, including retailers, distributors, wholesalers and suppliers. A seller generally has a defense if its average margin during the disruption does not exceed its highest margin during the preceding 90 days.
The trigger is mechanical rather than discretionary. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection monitors wholesale gasoline in the Hartford and New Haven markets. When the wholesale price exceeds $3 a gallon and is at least 15% above a price recorded during the prior 90 days, DEEP must notify the attorney general and the Department of Consumer Protection. Each qualifying increase creates a 30-day protection period, and another increase can start a new period.
Connecticut first activated the current episode on March 31. At that point, wholesale gasoline was $3.1222 in New Haven and $3.1002 in Hartford, up more than 70% from Jan. 2 levels, according to the state’s March notice. Repeated extensions since then reflect the law’s rolling comparison, not necessarily a new emergency each month. DEEP said the previous activation occurred in April 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted energy markets, underscoring how rarely the automatic trigger has operated.
The distinction between a high price and an unlawful markup matters for enforcement. In early September, the Attorney General’s Office said it had received 34 gasoline complaints since spring but had found no actionable price-gouging case. Three complaints about a mismatch between the roadside sign and the pump price were referred to consumer-protection officials, CT Insider reported. At the time, regular gasoline averaged $4.21 in Connecticut, 13 cents above the national average.
Consumers who see a sudden, unexplained increase at one station—or a pump price that differs from the advertised price—can submit a complaint through the attorney general’s consumer portal. Officials ask for the station’s address, the date and time, the exact price paid and, when available, a receipt. The attorney general can seek injunctions, restitution and civil penalties; the Department of Consumer Protection may impose fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The renewed notice therefore gives regulators another month to examine seller-level conduct while allowing price movements that reflect legitimate wholesale costs.
