MID-HUDSON – Prices at the pump have risen by as much as 60 cents per gallon in the last two months and New York’s two US senators want to look into it.

On the one hand, it could be the annual summertime spike in prices, but there could be another factor, said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

“One suggestion is speculation, that there is manipulation going on in the market again and we need to make sure that industry players are not manipulating the market,” she said. That was not the intent of the Commodities and Futures Exchange, Gillibrand said.

The freshman senator said there needs to be more oversight on the price issue.

Meanwhile, Senator Charles Schumer said the US must become less dependent on foreign oil.

“That means all kinds of new energy being produced here in America, both cars and non-cars,” he said, pointing to use of wind power to generate electricity would lessen the dependence on foreign oil. Schumer also restated his call for breaking up the big oil companies. “There are only five, they collude, they keep the supply down to keep the price up and I think we should be breaking them up.”