Oregon convenience-stores and fuel stations will be able to offer consumers the option of pumping their own gas if Gov. Tina Kotek signs a measure into law.
House Bill 2426 would require convenience stores and gas stations to provide full service at half of their open pumps, but it would allow for self-service fillups at other pumps for the first time since the state imposed the prohibition on self-service gas in 1951, OregonLive.com said. The bill requires fuel prices to be the same at self-service pumps as at full-service pumps. It also eliminates the requirement to allow coin payment. The House passed the bill March 20, while the Senate passed it June 21.
Oregon, along with New Jersey, is one of only two U.S. states that restrict self-service fueling. Oregon began loosening restrictions on its decades-long self-service fueling ban in 2016, starting first in rural areas. In 2019, legislators introduced a bill intended to expand self-service fueling even more by allowing all gas stations in the state to make up to one-quarter of their fuel pumps self-service, but it did not advance beyond the committee stage.
Some opponents say allowing self-service fueling would mean job cuts at fueling centers. This was the rationale behind national legislation introduced 10 years ago aiming to mandate full-service attendants at gas stations to generate jobs. The effort failed.
This year, most state legislation regarding fueling involves changes to vehicle registration regulations to include higher fees for electric vehicles, as other states already allow for self-service gasoline fueling.
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