A motorist prepares to pump gas Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Portland, Maine.AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Among the actions temporarily adopted during last month’s heat wave was one that the state should make permanent: Allowing residents to pump their own gas.

The lifting of Oregon’s ban on self-serve gas, authorized by the State Fire Marshal during July’s extended heat wave, sought to limit the amount of time gas station attendants would have to work outside. But it shouldn’t take climate emergencies to trigger a common-sense change that 48 other states in the country adopted long ago. Today, only Oregon and New Jersey persist in broadly requiring that a gas station attendant fill drivers’ tanks.

There has been progress over the years, however slow it may be. In 2017, Oregon lawmakers passed a law allowing those in rural counties to pump their own gas with certain time restrictions for stations that also operate a retail store. Drivers of diesel-fuel vehicles also do not have to rely on an attendant. And last session, several Democratic and Republican legislators jointly sponsored House Bill 4151, which would give all Oregon drivers the choice of whether to pump their own gas ­– a proposed change that was popular among gas stations which, along with every other employer, struggled to find workers.

But that bill failed to advance. Among those opposing it was United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, which represents many gas station attendants. Among its arguments against the bill was one that made the desperate connection between Oregon’s low rate of flu contagion and the ban on self-serve gas – something, the union argued, policymakers should keep in mind with COVID-19. It’s a bizarre argument considering how COVID-19 is transmitted and that most drivers aren’t having extended conversations with gas pumps.

Certainly, gas stations should still have attendants available to assist those who need it – a consideration that was built into HB 4151. People with disabilities, elderly drivers and others may well need or want someone else to fuel their vehicles. But for the vast majority of drivers, a gas attendant is simply unnecessary. Filling a gas tank is not difficult as teens around the country can well attest.

Legislators are believed to be working on launching a new attempt in the coming session. They should – and this time, they should not let specious arguments about COVID-contagion or any other nonsensical claim carry any weight with them. About 63% of Oregonians want self-serve, according to January 2021 poll for the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.

In the grand scheme of things, the ability to pump your own gas is not the most pressing issue facing the Legislature. But the ban is both ridiculous as well as ridiculously easy to change. Secure an easy win, legislators, and put this on the agenda for 2023.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

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