Low Population Oregon Counties Allowed Self-Serve Dispensers Overnight
Consumers can purchase gas from 6pm-6am on a self-serve basis
Beginning this year, gas stations in Oregon counties with populations less than 40,000 people are allowed to provide self-serve dispensers, but only between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. The population threshold included in the new law is set at a level that includes half of all Oregon counties, including most of the counties east of the Cascades. No counties along Interstate 5 are small enough to qualify. Oregon lawmakers approved the measure after hearing from gas station owners in rural areas who said they couldn’t find enough employees to staff their stations overnight. New Jersey is the only other state to ban self-service dispensing of motor fuel.
The legislation, sponsored by State Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) and Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day), is intended to make it easier for Oregon drivers to fuel up their cars during after-hours periods in rural stretches of the state, particularly the Southeastern region. The Oregon Senate passed the bill by a vote of 25-5 and Gov. Kate Brown signed the bill into law in June.
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