Illinois A-G tells gas stations to donate money to Red Cross or face...

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http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=4282173

Illinois A-G tells gas stations to donate money to Red Cross or face gas price gouging charges

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Several Illinois gas stations are being given a choice by the state attorney general's office: donate one-thousand dollars to the American Red Cross or risk being sued for price gouging after Hurricane Katrina.

The options were spelled out in letters sent to 18 gas stations this week.

Officials say gas prices at some stations rose as high as three-dollars-63 cents a gallon after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

Deborah Hagan with the consumer protection division says in an emergency situation "retailers have the obligation not to increase their prices" over what wholesalers are charging.