U.S. Demands Gasoline Production Records

The Justice Department said today it has subpoenaed records of major oil companies, refiners and marketers as part of its investigation of gasoline price hikes since Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2.

The issuance of civil investigative demands for detailed records on gasoline production indicated that the department had stepped up its investigation of the price hikes.

James F. Rill, head of the department’s antitrust division, said that the subpoenas will enable investigators to analyze the accuracy of explanations given by gasoline producers and marketers for the price hikes.

The antitrust investigation began Aug. 6 following the steep rise in gasoline prices. Oil company officials were interviewed by Justice Department investigators about the price hikes.

The preliminary phase of the investigation “developed substantial information about the nature of crude oil and gasoline markets and how they behaved in the wake of the Aug. 2 invasion,” Rill said in a statement. “It also provided us with an opportunity to have the parties explain the factors that caused them to raise gasoline prices.”

“We aggressively will pursue this investigation until we determine whether or not violations of antitrust law contributed to the rise in gasoline prices,” Rill said.

The average pump price of gasoline has risen 27.1 cents a gallon since the invasion, according to a survey issued this week by the American Automobile Assn.