What's Next In That Crazy Country?

One of the great mysteries of the United States, at least to me,  is why you can't pump your own gasoline in Oregon. That's right, when you drive south from my house and cross the bridge from Vancouver, Washington into Portland, Oregon then all of a sudden you are in 1958 when you pull into a service station. I half expect to see girls on roller skates serving milkshakes while I watch the guy fill my tank. Come to think of it, that is not the worse idea ever.

I don't know when the great state of Oregon will put all those attendants out of work and repeal that law but I do know it is the end of an era on Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada this month.

Yes, for the first time since 1973 you can now buy a can of beer in that province. And soft drinks in a can for the first time since 1984.

Prince Edward Island was way ahead of the coming environmental awareness movement when they banned aluminum cans all those decades ago in favor of only refillable glass bottles. Here's why, so says former premier Pat Binns, "A pop bottle is refilled on average 17 times. You can imagine the energy that saves compared to filling a can in Montreal, driving it all the way to P.E.I., putting it through recycling and back into the mainstream again. Environmentally, glass is much better product than a can that has been used once."

The Niagra Falls Review in Ontario, Canada, where I read the story, also points out that "silica, the raw ingredient in glass, is one of the most plentiful and readily available substances on Earth. Aluminum, on the other hand, is a very expensive metal extracted from bauxite at enormous environmental cost."


I know it seems unlikely but I found the news interesting.

Comments

[Jerkface]

Then why did they repeal it?

[Raul]

Very Interesting story.

What was the reason why they are allowing can beers and soda to be brought back?

[bruin]

When I lived in New Jersey, you couldn't pump your own gas also. The explanation I received was that during World War Two people pumped their own gas since able bodied men were either fighting the war or building the machinery for it. When the war ended, New Jersey wanted to make sure there were jobs to come home to so pump jockey became a Jersey institution. Alas, Private Ryan no longer fills you up in Hoboken, more likely it's a wanabe Fred Durst with a cigarette dangling from his lips (no joke)
while the nozzle is in his hand.

[Rick]

re the Oregon gas. is that a law or just a custom/customer service issue?

I have recently made a few trips to Oregon. on one occasion I "forgot" and pumped my own gas.

when the attendant appeared, thinking I had broken a law, I apologized. and he said, "no problem, thanks for the help."

[EditThis]

I grew up in Vancouver, WA so I was constantly crossing the border to and from Portland, and I would always forget about the gas pumping thing. Boy...they do NOT like it when you reach for the pump! It is a law, and supposedly it's a safety issue. But seriously, if you can't pump your own gas without getting hurt...that's just Darwinism at work.

[db]

I don't like Oregonians...I woulda gone with the article about the Chinese city overrun with Toads and animals acting bizarre days before the earthquake

[DanGarion]

The reason why you can't pump your own gas in Oregon, is because of fire hazard issues. Just a note, you are NOT expected to tip the attendant, it's a requirement so they don't expect you to tip them. I found this out when I visited and I tried the tip the guy and he turned it down since it's his job, not an added service.

[Melodi]

I'm from Oregon and it was always the greatest thing...you'd pull up to the station and it would be freezing cold and snowing, you'd crack open your window and hand the guy the money, roll it back up and a few minutes later you're done. You don't have the brave the elements or any thing.

[Mike]

That's wack. The other 49 states have the exact same "fire hazard issues" and they manage.

[Wag]

My understanding is it is simply to maintain jobs. Oregon wanted to keep opportunities available for kids after school jobs, summer jobs, or jobs for those just out of school and looking for better jobs.

I think we need a follow up on the can/glass story. How/where does the glass go about being refilled? What's the cleaning process? They are cleaned aren't they? Why ony 17 times? Are the can lobbyists to blame? Get to work Bean and let us know. Thanks.

[Prince Edward Islander]

Cans came back to Prince Edward Island as part of a campaign promise by Pat Binns successor. For some unknown reason, people here chose to accept this as an important election issue.

As for the issue of how the bottles were cleaned, I'm not sure. They were cleaned, I just don't know how. Bottles were only reused 17 times due general wear.

[Stacey]

About 15yrs ago, I was in Minnesota, where there where none of the gas stations were pre-pay, except if it was after 10pm. Can't tell you how many times I tried to pay for the gas before putting it into my car.

Just for kicks, I decided to let them pump my gas for me a couple of times. Expensive, yes, but I sure liked not having to do that particular chore when it was 20 below 0.

[Lizbeth]

Geez, what's the big deal? Is this the first you've heard that in some states you can't pump your own gas? Sh*t, don't go to New Jersey then because I'm sure you're going to write a f*cking blog about how they don't let you pump your gas AND you have to BAG YOUR OWN GROCERIES!!!!!

[Phil]

I lived in NJ for 5 years, and they do have the guy smoking while he pumps the gas, which freaks me out whenever I see it. To make even less sense, routinely the guy that pumps the gas is the ONLY employee on site, so the idea that they're stimulating the economy is B.S. Finally, it seems that they would be exposed to robberies much more easily when they are coming to your car, as opposed to the 2" thick glass like in the bad place...(WHEW...and breathe!)

[Dan]

Years ago when I visited Oregon for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find no self service stations. It was nice to have someone else fill the tanks.

[Shannon]

This drives my husband crazy (the Oregon gas thing), but I only really mind it when they are too busy to get to me right away. It would be nice if they has the fume suckers though, like here in CA. The gas stations up there stink (as in smell badly...)