The D.C. Council is set to take up a bill that targets one fuel distributor who owns roughly half the city’s gas stations as a court battle begins over fuel price-gouging in the region. The legislation is largely based on complaints from gas station operators in the city who say their landlord and fuel distributor is running them out of business. That owner and distributor, Joe Mamo, owns nearly 50 of the city’s gas stations — including all the Exxon stations — and a total of 160 stations in the region.
Mamo’s attorney Al Alfano called the legislation coming before council the result of a well-funded lobbying effort by a small handful of Exxon station operators. He cited several stations in the District that typically average at least 40 cents more per gallon than other city stations.
“They are the price-gougers,” Alfano said. “The average [per-gallon] profit is 16 cents [across] the country. Sure, in D.C. you have higher property values so you have to make more, but not like these guys.”
