Nathan
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan says his office is looking into the city's largest gas station owner.
Nathan told the Washington Post on Wednesday that his office is investigating Capitol Petroleum Group and primary owner Eyob "Joe" Mamo for potential antitrust violations.
He says the company's practices could be some of the cause of the district's higher gas prices.
CPG describes itself as the "leading distributor of petroleum products and services in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., region."
According to its website, CPG controls "a major market share of the petroleum products sold to the motoring public" in the District; Arlington County, Fairfax County, as well as the city and county of Alexandria, Va.; and Prince Georges County, Maryland.
The company, an authorized distributor for Exxon, Mobil and Shell brands, said it sold in excess of 88 million gallons of motor fuel products in 2009.
"Everyone knows that gasoline prices are high, and we're going to do everything we can to bring them down and be sure that it is a competitive market," Nathan told the Post.
Nathan told the newspaper that his office's investigation mostly will look at the company's recent expansion and if it represents an illegal monopoly under the District's local antitrust law.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by e-mail at jessica@legalnewsline.com.