Oregon's New Gas Law

[Katavia]

ICYMI, Oregon passed a law recently that made it legal to pump your own gas.
Thoughts?

EDIT 01/05/2018:

To officially clarify, the law only permits self-serve in counties where the population is 40,000 or less, and distinguishes between "Eastern Oregon" counties (basically defined as anything east of the Willamette Valley) and low population counties elsewhere in the state (mostly on the coast).  Here is the text of it.

The following counties can offer 24-hour self-serve--"nonretail" facilities are also included (in order of 2016 population, from lowest to highest):

• Wheeler (1,465)
• Sherman (1,795)
• Gilliam (1,980)
• Wallowa (7,140)
• Harney (7,320)
• Grant (7,410)
• Lake (8,015)
• Morrow (11,745)
• Baker (16,510)
• Crook (21,580)
• Jefferson (22,790)
• Hood River (24,735)
• Wasco (26,700)
• Union (26,745)
• Malheur (31,705)

The coastal counties that meet the population requirement can offer self-serve between 6pm and 6am:

• Curry (22,600)
• Tillamook (25,900)
• Clatsop (38,225)

If any of the "Eastern Oregon" counties above grows beyond 40,000 population, it is then subject to the coastal rules.  Those stations must also have an attendant on duty if they have a convenience store or other non-automotive business open on-site between 6am and 6pm.

The following counties don't have self-serve:

• Lincoln (47,735)
• Columbia (50,795)
• Coos (63,190)
• Klamath (67,410)
• Polk (79,730)
• Umatilla (79,880)
• Josephine (84,675)
• Benton (91,320)
• Yamhill (104,990)
• Douglas (110,395)
• Linn (122,315)
• Deschutes (176,635)
• Jackson (213,765)
• Marion (333,950)
• Lane (365,940)
• Clackamas (404,980)
• Washington (583,595)
• Multnomah (790,670)

As an Oregonian, my main issue with self-serve has been the fact that I've generally preferred to fill my tank and pay cash, which only really works well with an attendant.  Self-serve stations want you to pay before pumping, and if you're paying with cash, you have to know exactly how much you'd need to fill the tank, or else you'll end up underfilling or overpaying. 

My cash-based habits have been breaking down due to Costco, however, and I did finally start to see some of the appeal of self-serve when I drove through Nevada and Arizona this past September.

[02 Park Ave]

Considering the volatility of gasoline, this is a very dngerous decision.  Having untrained drivers handling it is fortunately still banned here in New Jersey.

Motorists are permitted though to deal with the less volatile Diesel fuel here.

[jeffandnicole]

Considering the volatility of gasoline, this is a very dngerous decision.  Having untrained drivers handling it is fortunately still banned here in New Jersey.

Motorists are permitted though to deal with the less volatile Diesel fuel here.

Just as an example, look at all the fires started by untrained people filling their lawnmowers in NJ.  It must be around 0 a year!

[Mapmikey]

Thoughts that come to mind:

If it is so physically dangerous, why don't the attendants wear any protective clothing besides a reflector vest?

Also, it is more dangerous to have the same small set of individuals pump gas from exposure to fumes than if everybody does their own.  I have driven 1.1 million miles and I'm guessing there are people who pump more gas every year in NJ than I have in my entire driving lifetime.

[1995hoo]

Considering the volatility of gasoline, this is a very dngerous decision.  Having untrained drivers handling it is fortunately still banned here in New Jersey.

Motorists are permitted though to deal with the less volatile Diesel fuel here.

This has to be TIC.

[Takumi]

Considering the volatility of gasoline, this is a very dngerous decision.  Having untrained drivers handling it is fortunately still banned here in New Jersey.

Motorists are permitted though to deal with the less volatile Diesel fuel here.

This has to be TIC.

You'd think so, but there are some people who seriously believe this. One particularly infamous comment:

[Katavia]

Considering the volatility of gasoline, this is a very dngerous decision.  Having untrained drivers handling it is fortunately still banned here in New Jersey.

Motorists are permitted though to deal with the less volatile Diesel fuel here.

This has to be TIC.

You'd think so, but there are some people who seriously believe this. One particularly infamous comment:

Which one? I don't think the image is displaying.

[hotdogPi]

Considering the volatility of gasoline, this is a very dngerous decision.  Having untrained drivers handling it is fortunately still banned here in New Jersey.

Motorists are permitted though to deal with the less volatile Diesel fuel here.

This has to be TIC.

You'd think so, but there are some people who seriously believe this. One particularly infamous comment:

Which one? I don't think the image is displaying.

In case you can't see it (I can):

I've lived in ths state all my life and I REFUSE to pump my own gas. I had to do it once in California while visiting my brother and almost died doing it. This is a service only qualified people should perform. I will literally park at the pump and wait until someone pumps my gas. I can't even

[Katavia]

Bah, never mind. Forgot that the firewall at the school where I'm typing this post from blocks Imgur.

[1995hoo]

I can see the image, both in Takumi's post and in the posts quoting it.

I've never been to Oregon, but I avoid buying gas in New Jersey because I don't like their full-serve law and the way it results in the attendant doing obnoxious things like dropping the gas cap so it smacks against the side of the car. Ms1995hoo's new car doesn't have a gas cap, so I suppose that issue would not be present if I drove that car, but we haven't been to New Jersey since we got that car last May.

[Brandon]

ICYMI, Oregon passed a law recently that made it legal to pump your own gas.
Thoughts?

Oregon finally joins the 1980s.

[1995hoo]

Lots of funny stuff if you search Twitter hashtag #Oregongas this morning.

[Max Rockatansky]

I can see the image, both in Takumi's post and in the posts quoting it.

I've never been to Oregon, but I avoid buying gas in New Jersey because I don't like their full-serve law and the way it results in the attendant doing obnoxious things like dropping the gas cap so it smacks against the side of the car. Ms1995hoo's new car doesn't have a gas cap, so I suppose that issue would not be present if I drove that car, but we haven't been to New Jersey since we got that car last May.

This....I generally avoid filling up with gas in Oregon and New Jersey because the attendant is usually prone to do something like not mounting to the gas cap properly.  Most gas attendants usually are among the younger crowd and I've had several of them tell me their "opinions" on life or straight up tell me they work for tips.  If you have to tell me you want a tip, then you are aren't getting one and I generally just want to be left alone when I fill up with gas so the quasi-political talk isn't welcome.

[kphoger]

If it is so physically dangerous, why don't the attendants wear any protective clothing besides a reflector vest?

Gas pump attendants at Pemex in Mexico (where self-serve is also a no-no) do wear protective clothing.  I actually kind of feel sorry for them on really hot days.

[Takumi]

[kphoger]

What really gets me is that the law doesn't do away with full-serve pumps.  In fact, stations aren't required to install self-serve pumps at all.  It just allows stations in rural areas the option to do so if they see fit.  Seems pretty reasonable.

[jeffandnicole]

I can see the image, both in Takumi's post and in the posts quoting it.

I've never been to Oregon, but I avoid buying gas in New Jersey because I don't like their full-serve law and the way it results in the attendant doing obnoxious things like dropping the gas cap so it smacks against the side of the car. Ms1995hoo's new car doesn't have a gas cap, so I suppose that issue would not be present if I drove that car, but we haven't been to New Jersey since we got that car last May.

This....I generally avoid filling up with gas in Oregon and New Jersey because the attendant is usually prone to do something like not mounting to the gas cap properly.  Most gas attendants usually are among the younger crowd and I've had several of them tell me their "opinions" on life or straight up tell me they work for tips.  If you have to tell me you want a tip, then you are aren't getting one and I generally just want to be left alone when I fill up with gas so the quasi-political talk isn't welcome.

Clearly they are trying to take advantage of seeing your out of state livense plates if they claim they work just for tips!

[kphoger]

I can see the image, both in Takumi's post and in the posts quoting it.

I've never been to Oregon, but I avoid buying gas in New Jersey because I don't like their full-serve law and the way it results in the attendant doing obnoxious things like dropping the gas cap so it smacks against the side of the car. Ms1995hoo's new car doesn't have a gas cap, so I suppose that issue would not be present if I drove that car, but we haven't been to New Jersey since we got that car last May.

This....I generally avoid filling up with gas in Oregon and New Jersey because the attendant is usually prone to do something like not mounting to the gas cap properly.  Most gas attendants usually are among the younger crowd and I've had several of them tell me their "opinions" on life or straight up tell me they work for tips.  If you have to tell me you want a tip, then you are aren't getting one and I generally just want to be left alone when I fill up with gas so the quasi-political talk isn't welcome.

Clearly they are trying to take advantage of seeing your out of state livense plates if they claim they work just for tips!

In Mexico, I have a personal policy of tipping the attendant if he washes the windshield for me, but not tipping if all he does is pump the gas.  Even with my American plates and my obviously being from the US, I've never had an attendant there actually ask for a tip.

[1995hoo]

I can see the image, both in Takumi's post and in the posts quoting it.

I've never been to Oregon, but I avoid buying gas in New Jersey because I don't like their full-serve law and the way it results in the attendant doing obnoxious things like dropping the gas cap so it smacks against the side of the car. Ms1995hoo's new car doesn't have a gas cap, so I suppose that issue would not be present if I drove that car, but we haven't been to New Jersey since we got that car last May.

This....I generally avoid filling up with gas in Oregon and New Jersey because the attendant is usually prone to do something like not mounting to the gas cap properly.  Most gas attendants usually are among the younger crowd and I've had several of them tell me their "opinions" on life or straight up tell me they work for tips.  If you have to tell me you want a tip, then you are aren't getting one and I generally just want to be left alone when I fill up with gas so the quasi-political talk isn't welcome.

Clearly they are trying to take advantage of seeing your out of state livense plates if they claim they work just for tips!

In Mexico, I have a personal policy of tipping the attendant if he washes the windshield for me, but not tipping if all he does is pump the gas.  Even with my American plates and my obviously being from the US, I've never had an attendant there actually ask for a tip.

I have never been asked for a tip at any gas station and it would never have occurred to me to give one, especially in Mexico or New Jersey (setting aside my previously-noted dislike of buying gas in New Jersey) where the full-serve is not some kind of special service apart from the norm. Even if I were to go to a full-serve pump in some other state–I never have–I doubt I would tip because they normally charge more for full-serve gas, or at least they always did when I used to see full-serve pumps (I do not recall when I last saw one outside New Jersey or Mexico). Obviously the full-serve pumps are not drawing from some special tank with more-expensive gas in it. The station owner paid the same price for the gas, regardless of whether it's coming from the "self" or the "full" pump, so it seems to me the price premium is intended to compensate the attendant for providing the service of pumping your gas for you.

I guess I view the full-serve attendant as being similar to the person who takes your order at McDonald's. I don't tip at McDonald's and I don't know anyone who does (and I do not normally tip at any other similar sort of establishment). I don't know why there would be a reason to tip at the gas station.

[Max Rockatansky]

I can see the image, both in Takumi's post and in the posts quoting it.

I've never been to Oregon, but I avoid buying gas in New Jersey because I don't like their full-serve law and the way it results in the attendant doing obnoxious things like dropping the gas cap so it smacks against the side of the car. Ms1995hoo's new car doesn't have a gas cap, so I suppose that issue would not be present if I drove that car, but we haven't been to New Jersey since we got that car last May.

This....I generally avoid filling up with gas in Oregon and New Jersey because the attendant is usually prone to do something like not mounting to the gas cap properly.  Most gas attendants usually are among the younger crowd and I've had several of them tell me their "opinions" on life or straight up tell me they work for tips.  If you have to tell me you want a tip, then you are aren't getting one and I generally just want to be left alone when I fill up with gas so the quasi-political talk isn't welcome.

Clearly they are trying to take advantage of seeing your out of state livense plates if they claim they work just for tips!

In Mexico, I have a personal policy of tipping the attendant if he washes the windshield for me, but not tipping if all he does is pump the gas.  Even with my American plates and my obviously being from the US, I've never had an attendant there actually ask for a tip.

Far more often it was in Oregon, New Jersey always seemed to have the whole attendant process way more professionalized on the whole.  Some really rural gas stations in Oregon didn't even have attendants, or at least anyone awake to come pump gas.  Seems like a lot of stations made the cashier double as the attendant.

[CtrlAltDel]

In fact, stations aren't required to install self-serve pumps at all.

Is there anywhere self-service pumps are required? I'd be surprised if there were.

[kphoger]

In Mexico, I have a personal policy of tipping the attendant if he washes the windshield for me, but not tipping if all he does is pump the gas.  Even with my American plates and my obviously being from the US, I've never had an attendant there actually ask for a tip.

I have never been asked for a tip at any gas station and it would never have occurred to me to give one, especially in Mexico or New Jersey (setting aside my previously-noted dislike of buying gas in New Jersey) where the full-serve is not some kind of special service apart from the norm. Even if I were to go to a full-serve pump in some other state–I never have–I doubt I would tip because they normally charge more for full-serve gas, or at least they always did when I used to see full-serve pumps (I do not recall when I last saw one outside New Jersey or Mexico). Obviously the full-serve pumps are not drawing from some special tank with more-expensive gas in it. The station owner paid the same price for the gas, regardless of whether it's coming from the "self" or the "full" pump, so it seems to me the price premium is intended to compensate the attendant for providing the service of pumping your gas for you.

I guess I view the full-serve attendant as being similar to the person who takes your order at McDonald's. I don't tip at McDonald's and I don't know anyone who does (and I do not normally tip at any other similar sort of establishment). I don't know why there would be a reason to tip at the gas station.

I take the same approach to tipping at drive-ins like Sonic as I do to tipping at full-serve gas stations:  I don't tip if the employee does only what's normally required, but I tip a small amount if the attendant does something extra.  I tip at Sonic if I make the carhop do another trip out to the car; I tip at Pemex if I make the pump attendant wash my windshield.  Otherwise, what they've done is just what they get paid to do all day long.

[Tarkus]

To officially clarify, the law only permits self-serve in counties where the population is 40,000 or less, and distinguishes between "Eastern Oregon" counties (basically defined as anything east of the Willamette Valley) and low population counties elsewhere in the state (mostly on the coast).  Here is the text of it.

The following counties can offer 24-hour self-serve--"nonretail" facilities are also included (in order of 2016 population, from lowest to highest):

• Wheeler (1,465)
• Sherman (1,795)
• Gilliam (1,980)
• Wallowa (7,140)
• Harney (7,320)
• Grant (7,410)
• Lake (8,015)
• Morrow (11,745)
• Baker (16,510)
• Crook (21,580)
• Jefferson (22,790)
• Hood River (24,735)
• Wasco (26,700)
• Union (26,745)
• Malheur (31,705)

The coastal counties that meet the population requirement can offer self-serve between 6pm and 6am:

• Curry (22,600)
• Tillamook (25,900)
• Clatsop (38,225)

If any of the "Eastern Oregon" counties above grows beyond 40,000 population, it is then subject to the coastal rules.  Those stations must also have an attendant on duty if they have a convenience store or other non-automotive business open on-site between 6am and 6pm.

The following counties don't have self-serve:

• Lincoln (47,735)
• Columbia (50,795)
• Coos (63,190)
• Klamath (67,410)
• Polk (79,730)
• Umatilla (79,880)
• Josephine (84,675)
• Benton (91,320)
• Yamhill (104,990)
• Douglas (110,395)
• Linn (122,315)
• Deschutes (176,635)
• Jackson (213,765)
• Marion (333,950)
• Lane (365,940)
• Clackamas (404,980)
• Washington (583,595)
• Multnomah (790,670)

As an Oregonian, my main issue with self-serve has been the fact that I've generally preferred to fill my tank and pay cash, which only really works well with an attendant.  Self-serve stations want you to pay before pumping, and if you're paying with cash, you have to know exactly how much you'd need to fill the tank, or else you'll end up underfilling or overpaying. 

My cash-based habits have been breaking down due to Costco, however, and I did finally start to see some of the appeal of self-serve when I drove through Nevada and Arizona this past September.

[Katavia]

Will add this to OP. Thanks Tarkus.

[US 89]

Here's an article: https://jalopnik.com/join-america-in-laughing-at-oregonians-freaking-out-abo-1821708958

Around 10 years ago, one of my dad's friends drove to Oregon and didn't know about the gas pumping rules. He got out of his car and swiped his card like he would at any other gas station, puts the pump into his car...then the attendant runs out and accuses him of stealing gas.

When I was last in Oregon on a family road trip, my parents were surprised and annoyed that they couldn't pump their own gas, and they certainly didn't tip the attendant. On the way back they made sure to buy gas before and after the state line.