CHICAGO, Ill. (WTAQ) - Wisconsin’s minimum markup law for gasoline – which a federal judge struck down a year-and-a-half ago – was put back in place Friday.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago reversed a ruling from Judge Rudolph Randa, who said the markup requirement violates federal anti-trust laws and is therefore unconstitutional.
The Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association challenged that ruling, and it won its appeal. The group said mom and pop gas stations would be driven out of business by larger competitors who could afford to charge less.
But critics say the law – which was first passed during the Great Depression – artificially raises gas prices in the Badger State. State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen had decided not to appeal Randa’s ruling, leaving the petroleum marketers as the only ones to do so.
