The folks at Reason bring us an update on laws in Oregon and New Jersey that prohibit drivers from pumping their own gas. It’s all part of the misguided effort to “save” the jobs of gas station attendants. As of Jan. 1, lawmakers in Oregon loosened the state’s strings, but not enough.
The law passed in May permits self-service gas pumping only in limited circumstances. It applies only in eastern counties in Oregon with populations of less than 40,000 people, and it only applies to gas stations that aren’t attached to convenience stores or retailers.
Previously such stations could permit people pump their own fuel at night, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Now they can do so at all hours, if they so choose. According to The Bulletin, some rural gas station owners didn’t know the rules were changing and are not prepared to let people pump their own.
This prohibition is silly, of course. There IS a much better way to help people obtain work. And it’s an issue that resonates with those on the Right AND the Left, as our Jon Sanders explains. It’s time to reform the laws that put up barriers to folks who want to earn a living with specific skills. It’s time to reform occupational licensing laws.
