Joe Rose pumps his own gas

Joe Rose pumped his own gas in Vancouver in 2012.

(Joe Rose/The Oregonian)

UPDATE: N.J. lawmaker: Like in Oregon, state's drivers won't be pumping their own gas

If a New Jersey lawmaker has his way, Oregon could become the only state in the U.S. where it's illegal to pump your own gas.

On Friday, New Jersey Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R-Monmouth) announced his plan for a phased-in approach to end the Garden State's decades-old ban on self-service gasoline.

According to NJ.com, the bill includes a provision to allow gasoline station employees to continue to fill customers' tanks if they so choose. Earlier this month, NJ.com reported that state officials hadn't enforced the self-service ban in at least two years.

"I'm amazed at how many folks raise this issue with me. It's the right thing to do, so we'll see," O'Scanlon told NJ.com.

Oregon's gas-pumping law has been on the books since 1951.

According to a 2014 survey, Oregonians under the age of 45 are more likely to support lifting the statewide ban than older residents.

The survey found that 53 percent of respondents in that demographic were in favor of lifting Oregon's self-service ban.

The state's law points to 17 reasons for the ban, but historically, Oregon used one justification above all others. "The justification that's cited most often is that the law creates jobs," Oregon State University economist Patrick Emerson told The Oregonian/OregonLive.com in 2012.

State lawmakers are currently debating a bill that would allow some rural Oregon counties to lift the self-service ban. The bill applies to counties with fewer than 40,000 residents, allowing the remote gas stations to remain open when employees are not available.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@cityhallwatch