A Chicago motorist watches the pump as he fills up June 21 at a gas station on Chicago's North Side. Gas prices in the region are among the highest. Around the Great Lakes, where gasoline prices are among the highest in the country, nearly five million people will travel 100 miles or more, up 3 percent from 1999, according to the American Automobile Association. Paying for a Cleaner Environment In Milwaukee Monday, a Common Council committee approved charging taxi riders an extra dollar per fare for 90 days to offset cab companies' expenses. The full council is expected to take up the matter Friday.
Lawmakers say the high prices are linked to more-expensive reformulated gasoline.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered 17 cities, including Milwaukee and Chicago, to use the cleaner-burning fuel to cut air pollution. Brenda Fischer, manager of the Coachlite Inn and Suites in Sister Bay, said she draws most of her visitors from the Chicago area, close enough to make the price of gasoline a non-issue. Anita Nelson, co-owner of the Thunder Valley Inn bed and breakfast in Wisconsin Dells, said eight of her 10 rooms are already booked for the Fourth. Long-distance people might be more affected. At the Bridge View Monday night, Lilita Kuklewitz took two calls in less than five minutes.