WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after a District Environmental Commission in Vermont granted Costco a state land use permit to install gas pumps at its retail center  in Colchester:

“In my view, concentration of ownership and the lack of vigorous competition is a major reason why gas prices in northwest Vermont are so much higher than the rest of the state.  Nationally, when companies like Costco sell less expensive gas, prices tend to go down at other stations in the surrounding area. If Costco’s application to sell gas at its store in Colchester is finally approved, I hope and expect that gas prices throughout the region will go down – saving families a substantial amount in what they pay at the pump.”