The Oregon Senate on Wednesday passed House Bill 2426 with overwhelming bipartisan support. The legislation that now goes to Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk gives Oregon drivers the choice to pump their own gas or receive service from a gas station attendant.
Source: Bill to allow self-service gas statewide clears Oregon Senate, heads to governor’s desk – KTVZ
Oregon has long prohibited anyone from putting gas in their own vehicle (a few exceptions and some expansion to rural gas stations in recent years). The claim was fueling your own car, as is done in almost all other states, is too dangerous. By making the process inefficient, the state created some low skilled jobs.
Today labor is in short supply and many gas stations wee no longer able to hire sufficient staff to keep all their pumps open.
Many if not most station attendants were young. But now, there are insufficient young people willing to take these jobs. Thus, the legislature ended the law, which had been in effect for more than 70 years.
Yet another side effect of the birth rate implosion.
