{"id":4722,"date":"2015-05-18T05:27:05","date_gmt":"2015-05-18T09:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=4722"},"modified":"2015-05-18T11:22:01","modified_gmt":"2015-05-18T15:22:01","slug":"proposed-bill-would-allow-n-j-resident-to-pump-their-own-gas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2015\/05\/proposed-bill-would-allow-n-j-resident-to-pump-their-own-gas\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed Bill Would Allow N.J. Residents to Pump Their Own Gas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pumping<\/a>

Pumping gas. (Credit: futureatlas.com\/Flickr)<\/p><\/div>\n

A proposal by state Sen. Declan O\u2019Scanlon would phase in self-service fuel pumps in New Jersey, poking one of the first holes in a tradition that\u2019s as uniquely \u201cJersey\u201d as the roadside diner or Lucy the Elephant.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Scanlon\u2019s bill, announced Friday, would decriminalize the act of pumping one\u2019s own gas and provide for self-service islands at New Jersey\u2019s gas stations. Each facility would be required to operate at least one island of full service pumps for three years following enactment, and the bill also allows for gas retailers to charge a lesser price for self-service gasoline.<\/p>\n

The reasoning for the prohibition on pumping one\u2019s own gas dates back to the 1949 law that made self-service illegal in the first place. The law states that because of the \u201cfire hazard directly associated with dispensing fuel,\u201d the practice should be left to attendants who know not to smoke around pumps and can advise motorists to turn off their engines prior to fueling up. Since then, the real story has emerged in several venues of why it was made illegal, namely, to keep prices higher after a station owner decided to discount his fuel to those who would pump it themselves. The full story<\/a> was retold by Star-Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine last year.<\/p>\n

New Jersey is one of two states \u2013 the other is Oregon \u2013 that prohibits pumping one\u2019s own gas. There, the debate has centered around retaining jobs for attendants. A proposal is currently on the table in Oregon to allow rural counties to convert to self-service<\/a>. Even in New Jersey, there are already some instances where the full service law does not apply. Diesel fuel can be pumped by a driver, and on the water, it is standard (and legal) practice for boaters to fill their own tanks using the same pumps and nozzles that are used to fill the tanks of cars.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Scanlon said the safety argument just doesn\u2019t hold water.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am offended by people that argue that New Jerseyans are mentally incapable of pumping their own gas without setting themselves on fire,\u201d he said in a statement issued on the bill.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Scanlon jokingly said he would insert language into the bill that would require gas stations to put a warning label in bright neon colors on each pump saying, \u201cDo not, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, set yourself on fire!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that should resolve these concerns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The effort to allow self-service, which has bi-partisan support, may not necessarily prove popular. A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll conducted in 2012<\/a> showed 63 percent of Garden State residents wanted to maintain full service.<\/p>\n

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Should New Jersey Residents Be Allowed to Pump Their Own Gas?<\/strong><\/p>