Oregon’s state law has required that all gas stations provide full service since 1951. In 2018, Oregon amended the law to allow self-service in rural areas with low density. But now, Oregon’s generous state government allows residents to pump their gasoline without any training, experience, or certification. Shocking!
A new law, signed on Friday, allows all gas stations in Oregon to allow their customers to fill up their own tanks. This lifts a ban that had been in place since 1951.
House Bill 2426 was signed by Democratic Governor on Friday. Tina Kotek took effect immediately. New Jersey is the only US state where customers cannot pump their own gas.
In Oregon’s 16 largest counties, full service is not completely phased out. The law requires that not more than half the pumps at a service station are self-serve and that a gas station employee is always available to pump gas in these communities. Full service cannot be charged more.
Oregon banned self-service in larger communities but allowed exceptions during the Covid-19 Pandemic and for smaller towns.
Full-service requirements have been controversial in Oregon and New Jersey for many years. Reasons given to keep the old mandate range from the safety of flammable liquids to the preservation of the jobs at gas stations.
Dan Clay, President of UFCW Local 555 in Oregon, which represents workers at grocery stores, said: “This bill clearly favors big oil companies and ignores the workers’ interests.”
Clay’s statement is a pure road apple, considering the fact that the other 48 States (New Jersey is the only holdout) still manage to employ people at gas stations and convenience shops. He’s still doing his job.
Why does the government not allow self-service discounts?
Steven Brown told CNN affiliate KATU he can pump his own gas, but he will continue to use an attendant.
“Not interested in self-serve, because I am old,” Brown explained that it was a real job to go out and pump gas yourself at his age.
Some drivers, even those from other states said that they are happy with the option.
It was frustrating to have to wait for the attendants at the gas stations when it was busy. It’s nice to have it as an alternative,” California native Erik Atienza said KATU in a Portland service station.
Oregonians may not agree, but this is the right thing to do in light of the rising gas prices that have been a problem since January 2021. Wasn’t it around that time there was another major event? In time, lowering the prices will be achieved by reducing the costs of service in Oregon’s many gasoline retailers.
Portlanders might not like the idea, but it will be popular in most of the state.
The new law has not yet elicited many comments from Oregonians, but the relaxation of the rural law in 2018 has sparked some interesting reactions.
“I am a native Oregonian and I’m 62 years old. I don’t know how to pump gas. . . I say NO! “I don’t want to smell like gas!” wrote one woman on KTVL’s Facebook.
“No! People with disabilities, seniors, and people driving with children need assistance. It’s not safe to get out of the car when there are transients in the area. This is a bad idea. Another woman also wrote: “Grrr.”
“I have lived in this condition all my life, and I refuse to pump my gas myself. . . Only qualified people should be able to perform this service. “I will park my car at the gas station and wait for someone to fill up my tank.”
Oregon was a laughing stock among social media users, who had envisioned an entire state of hapless motorists.
If only this was the only reason Oregon is a laughingstock.
It is a real question of why the state believes it necessary to regulate who pumps gas. It is up to the private businesses, and not the state legislature, to decide this issue?
