Justice Department calls on states to join investigation into oil companies
Source: Politico
07/03/2026 10:32 AM EDT
The Justice Department on Friday urged state attorneys general to investigate whether unlawful conduct is keeping gasoline prices high even as crude oil prices fall.
In a letter obtained by POLITICO, DOJ urged the state attorneys general to use all tools available under state law to investigate and prosecute any misconduct that may be contributing to high prices at the pump. In short, companies and individuals who seek to unlawfully exploit our nations citizens will face federal investigation, civil liability, and criminal prosecution, the Justice Department wrote.
Gas prices surged earlier this year after U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran raised concerns that the conflict could disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that normally carries about 20 percent of the worlds oil.
Prices have eased as peace talks between the U.S. and Iran continue. The average gas price on Friday morning was just under $4 per gallon, according to AAA, while crude oil hovered just under $69 per barrel.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/03/justice-department-oil-companies-investigation-00986929
Lovie777
(24,622 posts)DOJ is corrupt too.
dave99
(731 posts)mdbl
(9,026 posts)They are trying to fix the votes for the midterms by doing short-term meaningless crap so they can tell all their moron followers how they are doing such a great job.
Fiendish Thingy
(24,595 posts)How about investigating to find out who asked the egg buyers to bid up the price of eggs during Bidens term?
https://digbysblog.net/2026/07/03/just-eat-cereal/
TommyT139
(2,548 posts)Get the states to investigate, knowing they won't, because of oil & gas tentacles into red state govts.
On the other hand, gas & oil are interstate businesses, so doesn't that mean federal jurisdiction?
So the DOJ set up a way to give Trump cover, with no investigations actually resulting.
dweller
(29,005 posts)Its ALWAYS been this way .
Oil is threatened , prices skyrocket
Oil prices come down , prices remain high for gas .
What was the national average becomes forgotten , and the new national average price is established
Prices rise for all products moved by trucking etc
Those lower prices are never seen again , and higher prices remain .
Its been that way forever . But now they are concerned
✌🏻
Igel
(37,728 posts)That's 60 cents above where it was back in January--with prices a bit higher in summer anyway and with cheaper crude working its way through the system I don't know where it's going to land.
Did still see some places charging 3.099 and a mile down the road others at 3.399 and 3.499. But they were late in raising prices back in March and April.
Again, depending on where they source their gasoline and diesel the price increase took time to work through the supply chain and the price decrease will, too.
dave99
(731 posts)turbinetree
(27,876 posts)off to South Dakota..............on his gifted refurbished bribe jet paid for by taxpayers.........because Obama had a deal in the Middle East that he didn't like............you know that ego shit running between his ears............JFC..........
multigraincracker
(38,385 posts)No company should have control from the fields to the pumps. Break them up and bring competition to gas prices.
delisen
(7,522 posts)Trump wants the DoJ to focus on his vanity prosecutions
Image this DoJ trying to go up against Big Oil.
angryxyouth
(359 posts)Fuel prices are high because the Straight of Hormuz is still closed. There are no real negotiations going on. Except self dealing by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. 70% of the US refineries are set up for heavy or sour crude oil which is high in sulfur, which we generally get from the Middle East. We are at tank bottom when it comes to the heavy crude so mixing it with the light shale oil or the light oil that is produced in the Permian Basin in Texas is difficult. The bottom of the tanks are unusable sludge. So we have 30% refining capability for domestic oil product needs. The oil pumped from platforms offshore in California are a heavy high sulfur oil, which is why Donald Trump is pushing so hard to start pumping it. The Gulf of Mexico produces both heavy and light crude which in recent years we have slowed production for good reason in those areas.
Here is a breakdown which I got from chat GBT of how light cruse is used.
Over 85% of a 42-gallon barrel of light crude oil is refined into various fuels. The remaining yield produces materials like asphalt, lubricants, and petrochemical feedstocks for plastics.Because the refining process causes a volume expansion, a single barrel yields about 45 gallons of petroleum products.The average breakdown of products from a single barrel includes:Gasoline: ~43% to 45% (about 19 gallons) for automobiles.Diesel and Heating Oil (Distillates): ~25% to 29% (about 1112 gallons).Jet Fuel / Kerosene: ~7% to 9% (about 4 gallons).Hydrocarbon Gas Liquids (HGL): ~4% to 8% (about 2 gallons) used for propane, butane, and plastic feedstock.Asphalt and Road Oil: ~3% to 4% (about 1.5 gallons).Other Products: ~4% to 8% (about 2.5 gallons) including petrochemicals, lubricants, and petroleum coke.
Back to me. The oil companies are buying heavy crude from Venezuela, Mexico and Canada, and are paying a premium for it. If anything oil prices are being kept artificially low because the markets believe Donald Trump when he says were negotiating with Iran and that the straight will open. The United States has an advantage to other countries like Europe because of our proximity to South America, Mexico and Canada but again we are paying a premium for 70% of our refineries to keep producing. Good news is that we wont run out of fuel in the US it will be more expensive for a long time. This doesnt take into account aviation fuel in California which around 20% is imported from South Korea because of a lack of pipelines from other parts of the country and because California is closing refineries.
BettyBlueDot
(42 posts)This is some rich BS. "companies and individuals who seek to unlawfully exploit our nations citizens" The main source is the trump machine. It is everything trump and his doj do.... exploiting us, stealing from us left and right, 24/7. Yet again, the lying, hypocrisy, gaslighting is off the charts.