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--> --> Gas prices climbed more than $2 a gallon Wednesday and were even higher at some Ashland stations by this morning. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA Wyden warns against gas price-gouging By AP and The Tidings Sen. Ron Wyden warned oil companies not to hit customers with high gas prices in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Following Tuesday's attacks, gasoline prices spiked in some parts of the country. "I want to send a message that if any one of these powerful oil companies tries to exploit this situation I will name them next Wednesday... If they do it, I will single them out before the U.S. Senate," Wyden said. He said Oregon is vulnerable to gas price increases because of chronically tight supplies, the lack of refineries in the state, the ability of oil companies to export to Asia and the loss of more than 600 gas stations in the state in recent years - including many independent stations. The average price for regular unleaded gas was $1.53 per gallon nationally as of this morning, but was $1.74 in Oregon. In the Medford-Ashland area, gas prices hovered at an average of $1.70, according to the American Automobile Association. As of Wednesday evening, the highest price in Ashland was $1.85 per gallon at the Astro station, across from the Ashland Public Library. The lowest prices, at $1.70 per gallon, were at the Arco AM/PM and Chevron gas stations near the south Interstate 5 interchange. Prices generally were lower at the cluster of stations around the south interchange, higher at the north interchange and highest within central Ashland. While prices around Ashland did not surge following the terrorist attacks, Wyden said his staff has heard reports of price spikes on the Southern Oregon coast and in Oregon City. Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers said his office's consumer hotline was jammed with calls from Marion and Polk Counties, with residents reporting price increases of up to 25 cents a gallon. Myers promised to crack down on gas dealers who raise prices excessively. "Profiteering on the misery of others is unconscionable," he said. "We have opened an investigation and are closely scrutinizing complaints of exorbitant prices on necessary goods such as gasoline. Dealers charging excessive and unjustified prices for gasoline with consumers having little choice but to purchase will not be tolerated." He advised consumers to report price gouging by calling his office's toll-free hotline at 1-877-877-9392. Myers also warned residents to be wary of scams in which groups or individuals pose as legitimate organizations, such as the American Red Cross, and ask for money to aid victims of the terrorist attacks. Residents should call the local office of a charity for verification of fund-raising efforts. Non-profit charitable corporations and professional fundraisers must be registered. Information on registered charities is available by calling 503-229-5725 or visiting the Oregon Department of Justice's web site at doj.state.or.us. Elsewhere in the nation, many drivers formed long lines at stations and scuffled over access to gas, while prices skyrocketed at some stations. In Topeka, Kan., a 78-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for aggravated assault after he allegedly pulled a pellet gun on another customer and bumped his car into another to get to a pump. Owners of a Washington state gas station apologized and offered refunds after charging $7 per gallon in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The owners said they had raised prices to encourage motorists to go elsewhere because they feared they would run out of gas, but later said they should have shut off their gas pumps instead. Many Oklahoma City gas stations increased prices up to $6 a gallon after the attacks, claiming they had heard from suppliers that further shipments of gas were uncertain. The American Petroleum Institute, the industry trade group, issued a statement reassuring motorists that there is no threat of a fuel shortage. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which controls about 40 percent of the world's oil, also said it was working to maintain stability. By Wednesday morning, many gas stations around the nation that had increased prices after the attacks had lowered prices. Ashland banks reported no major disruptions in the wake of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, home to many of the nation's leading financial institutions, and the Pentagon. Although bank customers made large withdrawals at some banks in the nation, Ashland banks reported local customers remained calm. "We certainly haven't had anybody walk in the door and say, `Give me my money. I'm going to put it under my mattress,'" said Lani Hayward, director of marketing for Umpqua Holdings, the parent company of Umpqua Bank. At Key Bank in Ashland, staff said they had been directed to allow customers to only withdraw a certain percentage of money based on account type, but no customers had even approached the withdrawal limit. Some banks said they had made slight changes in their daily business practices. Wells Fargo staff said they had been sending financial information to Portland two hours earlier than they usually do each day. Documents had to be transported by ground rather than air after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights, leading to longer transport times. Customers at U.S. Bank may see one-day delays in the posting of transactions because of the bank's inability to fly out transaction information, staff said. Local residents also did not make runs on Ashland gun and ammunition suppliers. Bi-Mart staff reported sluggish sales on Tuesday, the day of the attacks, as customers stood watching television reports at the store rather than stocking up on weapons. Staff reported a regular volume of sales on Wednesday. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing