HollyMatkinSalem, OR – Motorists in rural Oregon counties can now legally pump their own gasoline, thanks to a new law that went into effect on Jan. 1.
But not every member of the Beaver State is happy about the added privilege.
Up until Monday, Oregon and New Jersey were the only two states in the U.S. that required gas to be pumped by service technicians, WVUE reported.
The prohibition created obvious hardships, especially in rural areas where fueling stations closed up for the night.
“If you’re a tourist going into the outback of our state without a full tank of gas,” Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli told The Oregonian in 2015. “You better be prepared to sleep in your car, because it’s going to be tough to find a gas station that’s open after a certain hour.”
Fuel stations in counties with less than 40,000 residents may now allow customers to use self-service pumps 24 hours per day, although not every business plans to entrust their clientele with what some believe is a highly complicated and extremely dangerous task.
Shelby Perkins, a cashier at a 76 station in Prineville, told KTVL that she wasn’t sure regular customers even knew how to operate the gas pumps, while some other stations simply chose to not install self-service pumps.
“My equipment is not set up for credit cards,” Justin Bidiman, owner of the Metolius Market in Metolius told KTVL. “So we don’t have any way of recording the gallons.
A shockingly large number of Oregonians motorists are also resisting the change, which prompted KTVL to ask Facebook users how they felt about the idea of self-serve stations.
As of Tuesday, the poll had garnered over 21,000 comments, resulting in some outrageously comedic social media banter.
This is an ongoing situation, and chaos could erupt at any moment. We will keep you updated regarding any significant developments as Oregonians work to adapt to these fuel-pumping changes.