After a 72-year reign, Oregon’s self-service gas prohibition has been decisively repealed in the state Senate. Though there have been intermediate years and exceptions, notably in rural counties in 2017, and during wildfires or heatwaves since 2020. House Bill 2426 as proposed would require gas stations to staff half of the available pumps, but allows the other half to be self-service.
According to a report from The Oregonian, fuel companies have long pushed for the change due to staffing shortages. The Northwest Grocery Association, an advocate for retail and food suppliers, claims that jobs won’t be lost because half of gas pumps are already closed due to understaffing. The provision in the bill to staff half of pumps reflects this statistic, effectively reopening gas stations that are understaffed.
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