New Jersey is about to be the only state in the country where you're not allowed to pump your own gas. Last week, Oregon's Senate voted 16-9 to overturn a ban on self-serve gas that's been in place since 1951. As Quartz reports, half of the state's gas pumps have been closed because there haven't been attendants to staff them amid widespread labor shortages. Under House Bill 2426, approved by the state House with a 47-10 vote in March, at least half of Oregon's gas pumps are to be open for self-service. The legislation is to take effect as soon as it receives Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek's signature, per Fox Business. And for some New Jerseyans, it's encouraging.
New Jersey's ban on self-serve gas has been in place since 1949, though there have been various efforts to repeal it over the years. As gas prices hit peak levels in 2022, some argued that eliminating the cost of gas attendants' labor would bring prices down. But both Democratic and Republican lawmakers remained opposed to the idea, citing a decade-old survey that showed residents preferred having their gas pumped for them. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy wouldn't even broach the topic. "On self-service gas, that's been sort of a political third rail ... which I have historically not crossed," he said, per Quartz.
Others believe the time is right for change. "There is no shortage of bad laws in New Jersey that drive up the cost for small businesses and consumers. At the very least, we can bring back choice in gas delivery," TV and radio host Bill Spadea writes at WKXW. "I get that it's convenient to have someone approach your car and do the work for you. But for me and many other commuters and drivers, time is equally if not more important than convenience," he writes. In fact, "the delay waiting for an attendant has me filling up across state lines when I'm headed north or south." (More gas stories.)
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