$9.99-a-gallon gas [VIDEO]. Over 50 Lukoil gas stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania jacked up prices to $9.99 a gallon Wednesday to protest what they claim are unfair pricing practices by Lukoil North America that has left them at a competitive disadvantage.

Hordes of Lukoil franchise owners also gathered to protest at a station in a central New Jersey town where the posted prices were an eye-popping $9.99 a gallon.

The owners and the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience, Automotive Association said the one-day protest was designed to raise consumer awareness about the challenges facing Lukoil dealers and getting the company to respond to dealer complaints.

Station owners claim Lukoil charges them more for gasoline than competitor companies charge their franchises, forcing them to pass that increase onto consumers.