RESOLUTION CONCERNING ALARMINGLY HIGH SEASONAL SPIKES
IN RETAIL GASOLINE PRICES IN CHICAGO
WHEREAS, The Members of this Body are concerned about the recent rise in gasoline prices in the Chicago area and the impact these higher prices are having on Chicago families; and
WHEREAS, Gasoline prices in the Chicago area have risen recently at an alarming rate and have in past years been consistently higher than the vast majority of the rest of the country. The average gallon of gasoline in Chicago now costs $3.74 (the sixth highest amount among major metropolitan areas in the United States and the highest among metropolitan areas in the Midwest). The average gasoline price in the Midwest is $3.49 per gallon.
This price of gasoline in Chicago is substantially higher than the national average of $3.52 per gallon; and
WHEREAS, This sharp increase in gasoline prices has a serious impact on many working and middle-class families. At a time when they are struggling with stagnant wages in a sluggish economy, increased gasoline prices only add to their burdens; and
WHEREAS, As a result of paying higher prices for gasoline, families will likely postpone purchasing other necessary items such as home appliances or in some reported instances, medications. People who are already struggling with their mortgage payments may end up in foreclosure since they have no choice but to pay higher gasoline prices in order to get to work; and
WHEREAS, It is necessary and appropriate to gain a better understanding of why gasoline prices are rising so sharply in the Chicago area and why these prices are higher than in the rest of the nation. It is also necessary to come up with ideas about what can be done to alleviate this problem, which is harmful to working-class families; now, therefore,
E IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this ninth day of March, 2011, do hereby call for a hearing before the City Council Committee on Energy, Envi...
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