Statement of CFTC Commissioner Bart Chilton on the Formation of an Energy Markets Working Group

Commissioner Bart Chilton

April 21, 2011

“This kind of constructive cooperation and coordination is exactly the type of focused effort we need in government. Consumers are having their wallets siphoned every time they fill up their gas tanks. Filling up the car has become the second highest item in the household budgets of many families.

I look forward to the group’s work, especially in rooting out fraud, abuse or manipulation in the energy markets. I remain convinced that excessive speculation is a part of the problem and should be part of the group’s focus, too. There are multi-agency issues in investigations that can benefit from the unwavering specificity of such a working group. The Administration has done the right thing by trying to get to the bottom of the pump price push.”

Last Updated: April 21, 2011