"Research to be released Thursday shows that West Coast refineries continued to produce gasoline even though Americans were told they were temporarily shut down, leading to price spikes in May and October, McClatchy Newspapers reports."

"The report, based on environmental documents reviewed by McCullough Research, also finds that gasoline supplies were building in May, when West Coast drivers paid at least 50 cents more than the national average.

The study will be released at a California Senate hearing. McClatchy writes that 'though California is the focus, the conclusions carry national implications, especially because they highlight how little real information on pricing is publicly available, or even available to regulators.'"

Michael Winter reports for USA TODAY November 14, 2012. [2]