No conspiracy in price hikes.

• Author: Dempsey, Stan
• Position: Readers Respond - Letter to the Editor

After reading your June 2004 Rundles Wrap-Up ("Price hikes fuel empty feeling"), which I enjoyed, I received this e-mail from the American Petroleum Institute listing all of the investigations our industry has faced. Apparently some state attorney generals do believe that there are factors other than manipulation that drive up gas prices. Perhaps it's the fact that consumer demand is up 5 percent nationwide for gasoline at the same time refineries are closing due to the increased costs of implementing new environmental rules.

While I realize the point of your column was that consumers will make different...