MAGOFFIN COUNTY – People who have found themselves needing to fill up their gas tanks while traveling through Magoffin County will tell you gas is typically higher in Magoffin County than in surrounding counties. Being the last place in Eastern Kentucky to fill up on your way to Lexington, sometimes you must “bite the bullet” and take the extra cost. Sometimes you can finagle your way around to fill up while visiting Johnson or Floyd counties, or maybe even remember to hit up the one gas station between Salyersville and Prestonsburg that is always cheaper than either of the two adjacent towns. But one local pastor recently took the matter into his own hands, circulating a petition asking one main question: why?
Gregory Minix, the pastor of the Half Mountain United Baptist Church, located in Magoffin County, told the Independent he has been noticing while going to doctor appointments in Pikeville and Paintsville that Salyersville gas stations are nearly always 20 to 67 cents higher than gas prices in nearby towns, so he started a petition to let the powers-that-be know the community is tired of the seemingly inflated prices and people need to know at least why their gas costs are much higher than surrounding areas.
The petition, signed by nearly 150 people in two days, read as follows: “We, the undersigned, most all residents of Magoffin County, are fed up with higher than what we believe to be fair gas prices here in our county. Most of our neighboring counties are 20 to 67 cents cheaper than here in Salyersville. We would like an explanation as to why.”
When Minix stopped by the Independent office last month, gas prices (per gallon) were $2.89 in Corbin, $2.98 in Lexington, $3.06 in Pikeville, $3.49 in Paintsville and Prestonsburg and $3.65 in Salyersville.
Minix also explained that if he had the financial means, he knows he could get thousands of signatures on the petition, but he hopes those in the position to set the gas prices will see the petition and take a better look at the prices in Magoffin County.
“They may not pay attention to us, but so far there has been nothing but silence,” Minix said, explaining that Magoffin Countians traditionally have never been given a solid answer as to why prices are higher here as compared to towns on either side of the county.
“Most people you talk to say they go to other counties to get gas,” Minix said. “I usually make a special trip to Middle Creek, where it’s 25 to 30 cents cheaper. I may not be coming out ahead there, but it’s a matter of principle.”
Minix explained he wasn’t looking for publicity with the petition, but simply felt it was the right thing to do.
“As a minister, I’m not looking to make a name for myself and I’m not looking for publicity, but I’m willing to stand up for this community if that’s what it takes,” Minix said. “It comes down to greed and it’s affecting us all. I can’t imagine how families with kids are affording their gas and groceries.”
Also important to note, Minix said he knows the managers at the local gas stations are not the ones at fault and that they do not set the prices at the pump, but stated he was dropping off copies of the petition to local gas stations with the hopes they will be able to get the petition to the station owners and gas distributors.
In the regular Salyersville City Council meeting last month, Mayor James “Pete” Shepherd explained they were getting fuel for city vehicles at wholesale through Action Petroleum because they could save around 30 cents per gallon, as opposed to having a contract with a local gas station, also noting that the attorney general’s office had been contacted.
Judge/Executive Matt Wireman said he has also asked around in Frankfort about it, being told it has to do with a supply and demand issue, but noted that did not make sense to gouge a county with a lower population and a lower average household income.
“Unless economics have changed since I was in college, that’s not how supply and demand works,” Judge Wireman said. “Going by supply and demand, ours should be cheaper, but that’s not what’s happening.”
Wireman also noted that Representative John Blanton has been working on legislation that would crack down on the gas price discrepancies in the region.
The Independent also reached out to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office to make sure they are aware of the issue, being told that the AG’s office has received nine complaints related to suspected price gouging of gasoline in Magoffin County.
Krista Buckel, the acting communications director for the Office of Attorney General Daniel Cameron, told the SI, “We are actively investigating four suspected instances of price gouging in Magoffin County. As these investigations are ongoing, we cannot comment on them further at this time. Four of these complaints did not merit further investigation, and the one remaining complaint did not supply adequate information. We encourage residents of Salyersville and Magoffin County who encounter suspected price gouging to complete our online price gouging complaint form at ag.ky.gov/pricegouging.”
Buckel also reminded the public that the AG’s office does not have the power to directly set the price of gasoline, however they do have the authority to investigate allegations of price gouging.
Similarly, Crystal Staley, the communications director of the office of Governor Andy Beshear, told the Independent that Governor Beshear issued an executive order in June, declaring a state of emergency and activating the state’s price gouging laws, pointing consumers in the commonwealth to report price gouging to the Office of the Attorney General.
Staley said, “The Governor is concerned about reports of rising gas prices in Magoffin County, especially when residents in the region continue to rebuild following July’s devastating floods. In response to your concerns, Gov. Andy Beshear acted by contacting the attorney general, who is charged with enforcing the state’s price gouging laws, to make sure he is aware of fluctuating and high gas prices in Magoffin County. The Governor asked the attorney general to provide the number of complaints related to price gouging in Magoffin County and to examine those complaints.”
While no information is available at press time as to status of those investigations, it is interesting to note that since the SI sent the petition and general concerns to the different state offices, the gap has narrowed between the gas prices in Magoffin, Johnson, Floyd and Pike. At press time, there is an estimated 20-cent difference between the highest and lowest average price per gallon, and one gas station in Salyersville is currently matching the average gas price in Pike, which is one of the lowest in the area, according to AAA’s Kentucky gas prices map, available at https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=KY.
If you would like to report suspected price gouging, be sure to visit the Attorney General’s website, at ag.ky.gov/pricegouging.
Also important to note, no criminal actions have been proven and no instances of price gouging have been confirmed at this time. Prices listed in this article were observed and double-checked by SI staff, and county price averages were found on AAA’s website.
