A truth: many Oregonians under the age of 72 have minimal experience with pumping their own gas. Governor Tina Kotek is considering this reality as she decides whether to sign House Bill 2426, reversing Oregon's 1951 ban on self-serve gas. 

For Kotek it's a no-win proposition: a 2021 study found polarization, with 63% of Oregonians in support of self-service at the pump. Either way she turns, she will face unhappy motorists. 

Safety concerns fuel both camps. One gas station owner's court declaration described "people smoking, leaving their engines running, trying to fill up random bottles and jugs and driving off with the pump still in the vehicle." He notes that drivers who spend five minutes per week at a station might not notice, but employees working eight hour shifts do.

Yet proponents of the bill say that attendants are exposed to ergonomic and chemical hazards, including gasoline fumes, which contain the carcinogen benzene. 

The latest bill follows a 2015 law that allowed drivers to pump their own gas after hours in rural counties. Two years later, the law was expanded to include self-service at all hours in Oregon counties with low population. 

The new law received overwhelming support in the Oregon Legislature, passing handily on a 47-10 vote in the House and 16-9 in the Senate. It now awaits Kotek who has made comments indicating that it's not a done deal. 

Oregonians aren’t shying away from sharing their feelings. 

I don’t get the hysterics around this and why it’s even a thing requiring more thought.

There are over a BILLION motorists worldwide who manage this mundane task without issue. 

— Michael Everson (@MichaelEverson1) June 30, 2023

Not having to pump my own gas is one of my favorite things about Oregon!!

— Elizabeth Redman (@redmanpdx) June 29, 2023

Pumping your own gas is just barbaric. Sorry, Oregon, but it is.

— miss bee (@yoitsmissbee) June 29, 2023

If passed, stations will still be able to employ attendants, but can designate up to half their pumps as self-serve; stations in populous areas would still need to employ one attendant—a nod to safety concerns, job protection, and serving disabled drivers—but stations can't charge customers different rates based on self-service. 

Only one state has not yet grappled with these questions: New Jersey, home of our only remaining non-gas-pumping brethren.