Alabama competitor sues Texas' Buc-ees for allegedly pricing gas too low

Buc-ee's opened its first travel station outside the state of Texas on Jan. 21, 2019, off of Interstate 10 at the Baldwin Beach Express near Loxley, Alabama. The store is already facing a lawsuit from a competitor claiming its gas prices are unfairly low. less Buc-ee's opened its first travel station outside the state of Texas on Jan. 21, 2019, off of Interstate 10 at the Baldwin Beach Express near Loxley, Alabama. The store is already facing a lawsuit from a ... more Photo: John Sharp/AL.com Photo: John Sharp/AL.com Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Alabama competitor sues Texas' Buc-ees for allegedly pricing gas too low 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

Less than a month after the first Buc-ee's outside of Texas opened in Alabama, the convenience store is facing a lawsuit claiming gas prices at the new location are unfairly low, according to the petition filed in federal court last week

Oasis Travel Center, LLC, claims in the lawsuit that the Alabama store's gas prices are "predatory" and harmful toward its business. The travel center appears to be located about four miles east of the new Buc-ee's location in Baldwin County, along Interstate 10 and Country Road 64.

RELATED: First Buc-ee's outside of Texas opens today

The lawsuit claims the store violated the Alabama Motor Fuel Marketing Act by selling gas below the threshold imposed by the law. The complaint says the store opened on Jan. 21 offering gas at $1.79 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Since then, prices for regular gas at the store have fluctuated between $1.79 and $1.87, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also highlighted the sale of non-ethanol "Plus" gasoline at $1.93 per gallon.

"This price is dramatically below cost as defined by the [Alabama Motor Fuel Marketing Act]," according to the lawsuit.

According to GasBuddy, the lowest gas prices in Baldwin County on Wednesday was $1.81, while the average price was $1.97. The price at Buc-ee's was listed at $1.89.

Oasis Travel Center, which says the Buc-ee's gas prices have already hurt business, is seeking an immediate injunction to stop Buc-ee's from selling gas at those "predatory" prices, according to the lawsuit.

"Buc-ee's has always provided our customers with the best experience on the highway, from the world's cleanest bathrooms, to great food,"according to a Buc-ee's statement provided to the Dallas Morning News. "Part of this experience includes high quality fuels, priced fairly and competitively."

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.