Alabama Ag Commissioner Ron Sparks on gas shortages

From the Sand Mountain Reporter:

“Our concern is that people held back on the gas they had and said they were out or raised prices on the gas they had purchased before prices began to rise,” [Agriculture Commissioner Ron] Sparks said, following an address to the Marshall County Democrat Club in Albertville Tuesday night...

Sparks said his office is currently investigating instances of price gouging at gas stations across Alabama. “We want to make sure we stay on top of things and make sure that people don’t get gouged,” he said. “It’s staggering the amount of money that is going to gasoline right now.”

What Ron Sparks sees as a problem, I see a shining example of how the free market ensures the efficient allocation of scarce resources. As TCS's Iain Murray says, gas price "gouging" simply doesn't exist in a rational, competitive market, and any effort to prevent it through government coercion does more harm than good.

Sparks went on to call for more federal regulation of gasoline production, saying "I hope the government looks into getting these refineries regulated."

That's another bad idea. It is widely accepted that excessive government regulation of refineries is one of the major contributors to the "tightness" in today's gasoline market. The truth is, a new refinery has not been built in the U.S. since 1976, and federal regulations ensure that there is little incentive to build another one anytime soon. Without additional refining capacity, the gas market will remain tight for years to come, given the energy demands of a growing economy. New regulations are the last thing we need if we want to maintain a reliable and affordable supply of energy.

Even though the two measures Sparks advocates - price controls and increased regulation - would inevitably result in higher gas prices and more frequent shortages - he had the gall to "publicly criticize the Bush administration for creating the gas shortage."

Funny, I thought that the recent shortages were caused primarily by a massive hurricane that temporarily shut down much of the nation's already-stressed refining and distribution capacities. Is Ron Sparks suggesting that President Bush created Hurricane Katrina?