Gas price surge grabs attention of lawmakers

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

WASHINGTON -- A surge in natural gas prices is raising fears of higher heating costs this winter and has prompted a demand in Congress for an investigation into possible price gouging and market manipulation. Natural gas prices, on both the spot and futures market, have soared nearly 50 percent since just before Thanksgiving. The spot price on a key trading center on Tuesday was $6.59 per thousand cubic feet compared with $4.45 on Nov. 25, an increase of 48 percent.

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