Free Republic

More than 50 gas stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are jacking up prices to more than $9 a gallon to protest what they say are unfair pricing practices by Lukoil North America. Sal Risalvato of the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience, Automotive Association said Wednesday's protest is aimed at getting Lukoil to respond to dealers' grievances. Fox affiliate WNYW reports that a station in South Plainfield, N.J., had signs listing regular gas for $8.99 a gallon and premium listed at $9.49 a gallon for cash and $9.59 for credit.

More than 50 Lukoil gas stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania jacked up prices to more than $8 a gallon Wednesday to protest what they say are unfair pricing practices by Lukoil North America that leave them at a competitive disadvantage. Dozens of Lukoil franchise owners also gathered to protest at a station in this central New Jersey town where the posted prices were an eye-popping $8.99 a gallon. The owners and the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience, Automotive Association said the one-day protest was aimed at raising consumer awareness about the challenges facing Lukoil dealers and getting the company to...

More than 1,000 New Jersey gas stations are unable to sell fuel due to power outages and delivery problems, according to the head of one of the state's gas station associations. Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association, which represents 1,500 stations, told us by phone that 75 percent of his members have shut down fueling. "There's difficulty getting supply from the pipeline, to distribution centers, to the trucks, to the gas stations, and then the final hurdle, getting it into car. So there [are] difficulties along every point." Many stations don't have power to pump gas....

New Jersey's gas tax is going up this fall for the second time in two years. And all indications are that it is going to keep going up, an industry expert says. And up. And up. Gas tax collections have fallen behind for two years now, precipitating Gov. Phil Murphy's administration to announce Thursday that it is raising the motor fuel tax 4.3 cents, bringing state taxes on a gallon of gasoline sold in New Jersey to 41.4 cents -- the ninth-highest of any state. This follows a whopping 23-cent-per-gallon increase passed by the state Legislature and signed into law...