Photo: Photo by Wassim Chouak on Unsplash
The heatwave that's sweeping across Oregon has led to a temporarly lift of regulations that prohibit self-serve gas pumping for the local communities. Oregonians were able to fuel their cars by themselves for just two days, as the suspension ran from Sunday, June 27th, until Tuesday, June 29th.
The Pacific Northwest heatwave has broken records in Portland, with temperatures reaching all-time highs. The National Weather Service reported a high of 115 degrees on Monday, breaking the previous high of 112 degrees set on Sunday. The maximum temperature in Portland on Monday was the hottest ever recorded there since records were started in the '40s.
As of June 30th, the State Medical Examiner's Office had received a report of 63 deaths related to the Pacific Northwest heatwave. Due to the extreme and dangerous temperatures, the state's restrictions prohibiting people from pumping their own gas have been temporarily lifted.
For those who might now know, there are only two states in the U.S. where self-service fuel filling is illegal, and Oregon is one of them (New Jersey is the second state). Oregon has banned self-serve gas since 1951 but in recent years has relaxed its rules.
Oregon modified some of its regulations in 15 rural counties in 2015 ( those with less than 40,000 residents). To let stations operate for 24 hours a day, some fuel providers started to allow people to self-serve from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. Three years later, for locations without a market or convenience store, the rules were extended to for the whole day.
Last year, due to the health crisis, self-serve laws were temporarily modified, although this only lasted a few months. This week saw the citizens able to pump their own gas for 48 hours. And even if the temporary suspension has ended, the extreme heat does not stop there. For several days, it will continue to sweep across the Pacific Northwest, with temperatures reaching triple digits.
Currently, Oregonians are able to pump their own gas only where allowed by Oregon statute. If you live in Oregon, you can check this map, where you can see in what locations self-serve is allowed.
As of June 30th, the State Medical Examiner's Office had received a report of 63 deaths related to the Pacific Northwest heatwave. Due to the extreme and dangerous temperatures, the state's restrictions prohibiting people from pumping their own gas have been temporarily lifted.
For those who might now know, there are only two states in the U.S. where self-service fuel filling is illegal, and Oregon is one of them (New Jersey is the second state). Oregon has banned self-serve gas since 1951 but in recent years has relaxed its rules.
Oregon modified some of its regulations in 15 rural counties in 2015 ( those with less than 40,000 residents). To let stations operate for 24 hours a day, some fuel providers started to allow people to self-serve from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. Three years later, for locations without a market or convenience store, the rules were extended to for the whole day.
Last year, due to the health crisis, self-serve laws were temporarily modified, although this only lasted a few months. This week saw the citizens able to pump their own gas for 48 hours. And even if the temporary suspension has ended, the extreme heat does not stop there. For several days, it will continue to sweep across the Pacific Northwest, with temperatures reaching triple digits.
Currently, Oregonians are able to pump their own gas only where allowed by Oregon statute. If you live in Oregon, you can check this map, where you can see in what locations self-serve is allowed.
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