**Editor’s Note: Letter to Attorneys General Attached

In his continued effort to alleviate the stark difference in gasoline prices from county to county, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) has called for action from current New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood and incoming Attorney General Letitia James in a letter sent last week.

Hawley is supporting several pieces of bi-partisan legislation aimed at reforming the General Business Law regulating zone pricing to protect consumers against unfair gasoline pricing practices. He plans to make such initiatives a priority come the start of the 2019 Session.

“I am fully aware that zone pricing is prohibited by General Business Law 399-ee but I also know that there are several flaws in the statute that precludes effective enforcement,” Hawley says in the letter. “In most instances Genesee and Orleans County gas prices range much higher than the surrounding counties.  I have seen first-hand the pricing at gas stations in these counties priced $.15-$.25 more per gallon than the various stations located in the surrounding contiguous counties: Erie and Monroe.”

Gasoline retailers locally remain $0.10 - $0.20 per gallon higher than their counterparts in the Rochester area with many stations in Genesee and Orleans counties, which Hawley represents, averaging around $3 per gallon compared to the statewide average of $2.76 as pointed out by the Batavia Daily News.

Hawley finished the letter by requesting an investigation by the Attorney General, “I would appreciate your timely review and full investigation of this matter as well as any action that may be taken to bring this issue to a resolution.”