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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mail Tribune 100, Feb. 9, 1916 ... Oregon and Alaska lift suspension of troubled insurance carrier Moda ... Oregon refuge occupier releases videos mocking FBI ... Mail Tribune 100, Feb. 9, 1916 ... Oregon and Alaska lift suspension of troubled insurance carrier Moda ... Oregon refuge occupier releases videos mocking FBI ... OUR VIEW Our View: Could self-serve ban be on the way out? Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Though some longtime Oregon residents may consider it a sign of the apocalypse, it's actually a common-sense solution to a real problem, and it might be the beginning of the end for one of the quirks that makes Oregon different from other places. We're talking about Oregon's ban on self-service gasoline, a law the state shares only with New Jersey. State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, is the sponsor of House Bill 3011. If Bentz's name sounds familiar, he's the guy backing a bill to raise speed limits on rural highways. HB 3011 is aimed at rural parts of Oregon, too: very rural. It would allow gas stations in counties of fewer than 40,000 residents to provide self-service pumps — but only when no owner or operator was on hand to dispense gas. It seems the owners of those rural stations, which can be hundreds of miles apart in the wide-open expanses of Eastern Oregon, are tired of being awakened in the middle of the night by a sheriff's dispatcher calling on behalf of a motorist who's out of gas in the middle of nowhere. The bill passed the House unanimously, and is awaiting a committee hearing in the Senate. There is no rational reason why it shouldn't pass there as well. Oregon's ban on self-serve gas has never made much sense, and it's been retained more out of a sense of tradition than anything else. Frustrating as it is for out-of-state drivers accustomed to pumping for themselves, longtime Oregonians rather like not having to do it. HB 3011, however, might be the beginning of the end for the ban. Once self-serve proves its worth in the boonies, it may be only a matter of time before we see a bill to end the ban statewide, and not just in the middle of the night. MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501