NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Gov. Phil Bredesen spoke Tuesday on the rising gas prices and complaints of price gouging. So far, the state has received more than 1,000 complaints.

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“This is a spike,” said Bredesen. “I think it is a localized issue that will go away in its own time.”

Bredesen said that the gas prices have hit Tennessee harder than anywhere else in the country.

In Nashville, a two-minute drive can lead to a 25- to 50-cent price jump.

“It’s ridiculous to pay $4.09 for gas when I can go across the street and get it for $3.99,” said Antioch resident Christy Sharon.

In the meantime, the focus is on nabbing price gougers. And there are plenty of people willing to blow the whistle on gas stations.

The Department of Commerce and Insurance has received upwards of 1,600 complaints of gas gouging since Friday. Those complaints are passed on to the attorney general’s office for investigation and possible prosecution. But after Hurricane Katrina, 1,500 complaints resulted in only one prosecution.

Bredesen said that price gouging is difficult to prove.

“We’re treating them seriously, but it’s awful hard to know to prove gouging [rather] than, ‘My price of fuel has gone up, and I’m reflecting those in my prices,’” Bredesen said.

Channel 4 obtained copies of four of the complaints that may point to why it’s hard to prosecute for price gouging.

Two were about gas stations that had raised prices to $4.09 a gallon when stations across the street were 10 cents cheaper. One was about Mapco stations being the only ones out of gas, and another was about all stations in Crossville raising prices.