Officials: report suspected price-gouging to the attorney general; federal law available

Reporters asked officials what steps are being taken to prevent opportunistic price gouging and to ensure federal relief is not withheld from the disaster area.

Senator Maria Cantwell referenced an existing federal price-gouging law and said authorities would use it where appropriate. "There is a federal price gouging law that was based on a case where somebody in the New England area tried to overcharge for a snowblower in the middle of a snowstorm," she said.

Governor Bob Ferguson, who served as the state's attorney general before becoming governor, urged residents to report suspected gouging to the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division and praised the AG's consumer-protection team as actively monitoring large-scale incidents. "If folks individual see what they think might be price gouging, I would encourage them to absolutely communicate to the AG's office, the Consumer Protection Division, to file a complaint," he said.

Officials also said the state would coordinate small-business assistance through the Department of Commerce and federal partners and that they would use multiple channels to make a persuasive case for FEMA and other federal help.