"Hot Fuel" Investigation

Because the price of fuel has risen dramatically, the temperature of gasoline and diesel fuel sold to consumers has become an issue. The reason is that the volume of fuel expands and contracts with changes in temperature while the energy contained therein is constant.

From KansasCity.com:

The California attorney general's office has launched an investigation of gas stations and truck stops selling "hot" fuel to consumers without making adjustments for changes in fuel volume.

Tom Dressler, a spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer, said on Monday that his office will investigate whether any state laws or regulations were broken. The attorney general also plans to make recommendations on how the problem can be fixed.

It's estimated that an energy overcharge of $2.3 billion is collected annually in the U.S. just due to the volume expansion of hot fuel.