Published: 07-31-07
AUSTIN – With gasoline prices hovering around $3 a gallon Texas drivers want to make sure they are receiving exactly what they are paying for. Now keeping an eye on their local gas station is as easy as logging on to the Internet. Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced today the Texas Department of Agriculture is now posting results of gas station inspections on its Web site so consumers can see which stations around the state failed their recent gas pump inspections.
“The Texas Department of Agriculture is committed to consumer protection. We want Texans to know our inspectors are on the frontlines ensuring they are receiving what they are paying for” Commissioner Staples said. “By visiting the TDA Web site drivers will have the information they need at their fingertips to know where gas pumps have been found out of compliance.”
TDA has 72 weights and measures inspectors throughout the state checking more than 65000 fuel pumps a year. An inspector will place an “out of order” tag on any pump not dispensing the correct amount of fuel within the allowable tolerance.
The station owner or operator is responsible for having a pump repaired by a service company licensed through TDA before the pump can be further used to sell fuel. A TDA inspector will then place a new seal on the pump after it has been tested and found to be operating properly. TDA recently increased penalties for any fuel pump found out of tolerance in the state. This was the first increase in fines since 1996.
To check out the new online reports go to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Web site at www.tda.state.tx.us and click on “public information reports.” Besides gas pump inspection reports consumers can also review weights and measures enforcement action reports to find out how much gas stations owners had to pay for the out of order violations.
