Consumer getting fleeced

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.

When consumers spend money on products that are advertised based on weight or volume there is an expectation that they will get precisely what they buy. That should mean that when motorists buy a gallon of gasoline they are getting a full gallon. But that is not the case in Las Vegas or anywhere else where average temperatures exceed 60 degrees.

The federal government defines a gallon of gas as 231 cubic inches of liquid at 60 degrees and gas station pumps are calibrated accordingly. Gas will expand at higher temperatures, though, and contract when it gets cooler. The problem is that gas pumps are not adjusted to account for those temperature variances. That means that when temperatures soar past 100 degrees, as happens in Las Vegas, motorists are really getting fleeced. When the fuel in their vehicles’ gas tanks cools they wind up with less gas than they paid for. There is nothing fair about that.

Corrective action is needed, especially in light of record prices at the pump. As Las Vegas Sun reporter Brian Eckhouse wrote Monday, a class action lawsuit involving valley residents and co-plaintiffs in 25 other states is demanding action from the oil industry and gas station owners. Plaintiffs’ attorneys estimate that motorists are spending $40 to $100 more annually than they would if the pumps were adjusted to account for gas that exceeded 60 degrees.

The state Weights and Measures Department, which monitors gas pumps, ought to recommend a bill for the 2009 Nevada Legislature to mandate temperature-adjusted pumps so that consumers who buy gas at 70, 80, 90 or 100 degrees are still getting a full gallon for each one purchased. Just as there are shoplifting laws that protect businesses, there also should be protections for the public to ensure they receive goods and services as advertised. Until Nevada adopts temperature-adjusted pumps, motorists will continue to be subject to unfair commerce.