I realise this is a tangent, but what is 'pumping your own gas'? (And if not clear from that answer, why do people in Oregon specifically object? Not from the US.)
Pumping your item gas just means putting fuel in your vehicle yourself instead of letting an attendant do it for you. You're not allowed to do it yourself in Oregon and New Jersey (with, I believe, some exceptions to ensure people can still acquire fuel in circumstances where it's unreasonable or impossible to have an employee to do it for you.)
In the United States, most adults outside dense (or well-planned) cities own their own gas (petrol) powered vehicle. In most places, you go to a gas (petrol) station to refill the tank. In some states, it's illegal (for liability reasons) to do this refilling yourself. An attendant has to come around, collect payment, and refill the tank for you.
Oh! I see, thank you. I was thinking if it's something like methane harvesting like the moped art project on the front page, why would that be Oregon-specific, ha.
Here in the UK (we don't call it gas, so that threw me off, and) not 'pumping your own' is unheard of - payment either self serve at the pump (in the last ~15y anyway, since 'chip & PIN' I suppose), or inside.
> Here in the UK (we don't call it gas, so that threw me off, and) not 'pumping your own' is unheard of - payment either self serve at the pump (in the last ~15y anyway, since 'chip & PIN' I suppose), or inside.
This is also true almost everywhere in the US. Except that we do call it gas. (The word is not directly related to "gas", the phase of matter; it's short for "gasoline", which appears to have originated as a brand name.)
The fact that pumping your own is legal everywhere without any problems doesn't prevent people in Oregon from forecasting dire calamities if the law of Oregon were to change.
