A sign advertises $3.99/gallon fuel prices outside Jordan’s Exxon in Arkadelphia on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. Gas prices were 10 cents cheaper that day in neighboring Caddo Valley, while prices were as low as $3.57/gallon in nearby Bismarck, $3.55/gallon in Malvern and $3.51/gallon in Hope. arkadelphian.com photo by Joel Phelps
By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
Officials are investigating why fuel prices are always higher in Arkadelphia and Caddo Valley than in other nearby towns.
“Our residents are entitled to know.”
The Clark County Prosecutor’s Office is asking for assistance from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin in a probe to explain the “phenomenon which appears to be a system of price discrimination.”
Clark County Prosecutor Dan Turner submitted a letter to the AG’s office. The letter, obtained this week by The Arkadelphian and dated Oct. 12, says local residents “consistently lodge complaints” with the prosecutor’s office, which is comprised of Turner and deputy prosecutors Todd Turner, Greg Vardaman, Madeline Bennington and Christopher Riddle. Yet there seems to be no “reasonable explanation” for why local gas stations always charge more at the pump, Turner’s letter notes.
“Not only are prices in Arkadelphia and Caddo Valley routinely higher than those in every nearby community, the prices at local stores are almost always the exact same price,” Turner wrote.
Turner went on to provide evidence of the higher prices, saying every retail station in Arkadelphia and Caddo Valley advertised regular unleaded gasoline for $3.99 a gallon on Oct. 2, while stations along Highway 7 toward Hot Springs all had prices ranging from 15 to 34 cents a gallon cheaper. Further evidence gathered Oct. 6 explored fuel stops along Interstate 30, in both directions, from Hope to Malvern, showing that prices were 10 to 27 cents cheaper than in Arkadelphia and Caddo Valley.
The price gap, for which no one can seem to provide a logical explanation, creates an “undue burden on local consumers,” Turner argues in his letter. Further, “It defies logic that every retailer in Arkadelphia and Caddo Valley almost always charge the exact same price for a gallon of gas and that the price is routinely much higher than the varying prices charged by retailers in adjacent communities.”
Not the first time
Sure, gas prices are currently high across the nation, Turner said, but “this apparent price discrimination has been an ongoing problem here in Arkadelphia for many years.”
Turner isn’t the only prosecutor who has gone up against local fuel retailers for being unfair to Arkadelphia and Caddo Valley consumers. His predecessor, Blake Batson, who now serves as Circuit Judge, tackled price gouging at the pumps in 2008.
That September, in the widespread flooding aftermath of Hurricane Gustav and a subsequent state-declared emergency, local gas prices soared as high as 50 cents a gallon in a single day. One station operator, now retired, chalked it up as a “mix-up” between retail and listed wholesale prices.
Coverage from the now-shuttered Daily Siftings Herald newspaper reflected, as a result of that investigation, several station owners were required to surrender any undue profits they had collected and give them to local charities.
Consumers deserve answers
Turner, who was a deputy prosecutor under Batson at the time, is now calling for the AG’s assistance in investigating “this long-standing practice.”
“The communities of Clark County are thriving communities,” Turner wrote. “Arkadelphia is home to two universities and hosts students and families from across the state and region regularly with academic programs and athletic events. Perhaps there is a reasonable explanation as to why gasoline routinely costs more at every retail location in Arkadelphia. But if so, our residents are entitled to know.”
Responding to an email inquiry Thursday, the AG’s office told The Arkadelphian that Griffin has received Turner’s letter and are “reviewing the matter.”
AAA said in a news release Thursday that the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline fell 5 cents over the past week. Advertised fuel prices throughout Arkadelphia, however, have remained at $4 per gallon all week. The average price per gallon of regular unleaded fuel in Arkansas was $3.80 as of the latest report. The average price per gallon in the Hot Springs Metro Area was $3.57.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
