SAGINAW COUNTY, MI (WNEM/AP) -
The price at the pump has crossing the $4 barrier in some areas of Mid-Michigan for the first time this summer.
Experts said Hurricane Isaac, which is scheduled to make landfall Wednesday morning, is mostly to blame due to refinery shutdowns in the Gulf area.
A quick search of GasBuddy.com shows roughly half of gas stations in the Saginaw area are posting $4.09 for a gallon of regular unleaded.
Meanwhile, State Attorney General Bill Schuette has issued a warning that gasoline price gouging is illegal in Michigan as some oil production in the Gulf of Mexico could be shut down due to hurricane Isaac.
Schuette said in a release Tuesday that higher gas prices are likely, but circumstances "are not a free pass for price gouging."
The Consumer Protection Act prohibits retailers from charging a price that is grossly in excess of the price at which similar property or services are sold. Anti-trust laws also prohibit gas stations from entering into agreements to arbitrarily fix prices in unison.
The attorney general's office monitors retail profit margins and the actual cost of providing gasoline to consumers.
Five Detroit area gas station owners were convicted last year in a price-fixing scheme.
Copyright 2012 WNEM (Meredith Corporation.) All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
