Chicagoans are paying steep prices at the gas pump lately. It’s prompted one Chicago congresswoman to call for action against the oil companies.

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Chicago, said Monday gas prices are so high, they could create another recession.

“I think we need to put on the table everything, including dipping into the reserves, in order to avoid that,” Schakowsky siad. She said the U.S. government should end its subsidies to oil companies because their profits are so high.

Meantime, new statistics from AAA show Chicagoans are paying an average of $3.72 per gallon at gas pumps. That’s 37 cents higher than last month.

“We’re seeing very, very high oil prices for, really, any time of the year,” Beth Mosher, a spokeswoman for the organization, said. “The situation in Libya, the unrest in Libya, has prices very, very high.”

Mosher suggests commuters stick to public transit - since prices aren’t expected to come down for at least the next few weeks.