Oregon is one of only two remaining states where you cannot legally pump your own gas. This law was put into place in 1951, at a time when gas pumps were more complicated, didn't have the safety features of today's pumps, and many other states had similar laws. 70 years later Oregon is holding onto the archaic and ridiculous law in the name of safety, equal treatment of the disabled, and jobs. Safety and ADA concerns are moot: 48 other states are managing just fine and Oregon's fine citizens will always take care of the elderly and disabled without an overreaching and unfairly all-encompassing law.

 Even before the pandemic, it often took two to three times longer than it should to pump gas due to understaffed gas stations or inefficient employees; today, understaffing is at an extreme and it takes even longer. My local gas station has half of its pumps blocked off due to short-staffing. It also has a line of cars wrapping around the parking lot. Letting the customer pump their own gas would solve this problem very quickly. This is one of those moments where the solution is clear and simple, but the politics and bureaucracy of effecting positive change is difficult and complex. It is inconvenient for everyone and completely unnecessary. This is a task that 48 other states have been doing for years without any safety concerns arising. 

This is not a new issue. It comes up every year or even every time a non-Oregonian drives through the state and wonders what is going on. It frequently assumes the face of a jobs issue. How can we take away jobs? This is our moment to gracefully remove this unnecessary law with little to no negative side effects. Virtually every business in the state is desperately trying to hire; there is a job out there for every gas pump attendant. 

At a time when workers are needed it would make sense to take them from an occupation where they are needed least and utilize them in other parts of the workforce, where they are needed most. 

Let's repeal this archaic law once and for all and solve our jobs crisis at the same time by letting people pump their own gas in the state of Oregon.