There are two states in the U.S. where one is legally barred from pumping their own gas. One of those states, Oregon, may change this for some motorists.
While those visiting Portlandia will still have to let the attendant do all the work, Rep. Cliff Bentz of Ontario, Ore. is sponsoring a bill — HB 3011 — that would rescind the 64-year-old ban in rural areas where having someone ready to pump gas 24/7 is an impossibility, The Seattle Times reports. Bentz likens the issue to a similar instance affecting EV owners:
You go around eastern Oregon counties, you find more and more situations where there isn’t any fuel. And it’s not unlike the situation electric-car owners find themselves in now.
The measure, which was passed unanimously 60-0 in the state house, would apply to counties with fewer than 40,000 residents. The figure accounts for nearly all of eastern Oregon, and half of the state’s counties overall.
The self-service ban in Oregon goes back to 1951, and lists 17 reasons for existing, such as: proclaiming only trained professionals should pump gas; preventing discrimination against the poor, the elderly and the disabled; and providing employment, especially for young people. Attempts to rescind the ban have failed thus far, scaring legislators from proposing pro-self-service bills since 2003.
HB 3011 is awaiting a committee hearing in the state senate as of this writing.
[Photo credit: David Falconer/U.S. National Archives and Records Registration/CC PD 1.0]
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