Proposed Legislation Calls for Optional Self-Service Fuel in New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey's run as the final state to require an attendant to pump gas could soon be over.

A new bill, titled the "Motorist Fueling Choice and Convenience Act," could end the 73-year-old ban on allowing gas station customers to pump their own gas. The new bill was introduced with bipartisan support by New Jersey assembly members Carol Murphy, Ned Thomson and Annette Chaparro. Senate Minority Leader Steven Oroho signed on as a co-sponsor.

According to North Jersey.com, this legislation, if passed, would:

• No longer make it unlawful for someone other than an attendant to pump gas
• Allow gas stations to offer full-service fuel, self-service fuel or a combination
• Allow gas stations to offer a discount to customers who pump their own gas
• Require a "calling device" so that a person with a disability can receive assistance pumping gas
• Allow those with disabilities to have their gas pumped by an attendant at a lower self-service price if it is offered
• Not allow a county or municipality to require or prohibit self-service options

Joe Ocello, president of the New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association (NJGCA), whose membership includes nearly a thousand small business motor fuel retailers, applauded the proposed law.

"The current law that does not allow for self-serve is crippling my small business," said Ocello, himself a gas station owner. "When I got into the business years ago it was a great way to make a living, a pathway to the American dream. But increasing prices and labor shortages are making it more and more difficult to run a gas station."

Sal Risalvato, NJGCA executive director, added that the law, if passed, would not take away customer choice. "It is a regular occurrence at many stations to have multiple gas pumps blocked by orange cones because the owner does not have enough employees to work every pump," he stated. "Allowing for a self-serve option would allow them to open those pumps, while still offering full-serve for those who would like it."

Several other New Jersey gas station owners also support passing of the law for multiple reasons, including today's labor shortages.

"I offer all of my employees pay well above the minimum wage, and I still cannot find employees to work the gas pumps," said Ed Kashouty, NJGCA member and gas station owner. "Finding people to work a gas pump, when they can make the same inside at a warehouse or retail store, is nearly impossible. Having the option for self-serve will allow me to keep my station open with minimal staff."

Oregon was previously the only other state to fully ban self-service fill ups. That changed back in 2016 when the state allowed self-service in certain low-population areas, as Convenience Store News reported.