Oregon lawmakers vote to end ban on self-serve gas

Oregon lawmakers last week voted to end the state’s decades-long prohibition on self-serve gasoline pumps. 

The state Senate passed House Bill 2426 on June 21 in a 16-9 vote. The legislation would require gas stations to staff at least half of their open pumps for customers who request assistance. The other gas pumps would be open for self-service, The Oregonian reported. 

The state House passed the bill in March. The legislation will go to Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk to be signed into law. It would take effect immediately. 

The bill would leave only New Jersey as the lone state that requires attendants at gas stations. The state passed the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act in 1949.

WHY NEW JERSEY AND OREGON WON’T LET YOU PUMP GAS YOURSELF

Fuel companies have long pushed for changes regarding gas station attendants. Some drivers have also voiced support for similar changes, as most hate waiting for an available attendant to service their vehicles. 

In 2015, Oregon legalized self-serve gas stations at night in some rural locations, according to the newspaper. 

Self-service gas rules were changed statewide for health and safety reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet that temporary gas attendant suspension expired on May 23, 2020, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshall.