Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee, has sent a formal request to New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer calling for the initiation of an investigation into the sudden spike in gasoline prices.

Prices in New York State have seen an unusually high percentage hike in the last few weeks and consumers in New York City and Long Island have been hit especially hard. The price of a gallon of regular grade gas at some stations has gone from $1.60 to around $2 in under a month.

This hit those who established vacation plans for the holiday weekend and who now will be spending almost 20 percent more on their gas especially hard. According to Fuschillo, this type of behavior from the gasoline companies is not only unwarranted, it is unjust.

"In today's economy, even a slight bump in the price of gasoline will cause problems for the drivers of Long Island. But the increases we have seen in the last month will cause many to cut short vacations and to have increased trouble paying their bills," Fuschillo said. "I am not going to allow these companies to get rich on the backs of New Yorkers."

Even with prices at their current rates, the senator noted that these prices may creep up even higher. In his letter to Spitzer, Fuschillo noted that oil companies will probably cite the August 14 blackout and the ongoing situation in the Middle East as reason for the hikes, but he said this situation repeats itself every year.

"This annual occurrence warrants some additional oversight," Fuschillo said, asking the attorney general's office to look into the matter. "The most troubling aspect of this entire situation is that the price of gasoline always has a way of spiking at the times when most drivers will be taking road trips with their families," Fuschillo continued. "Oil companies have long raised prices at any available opportunity and this time I feel have once again been exploiting the consumers in New York State in a way that warrants oversight."