New Jersey lawmakers propose letting drivers pump their own gas

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey is one of the last states in the nation that doesn't let drivers pump their own gas, but that may be changing. 

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill Monday called the Motorist Fueling Choice and Convenience Act.

If passed, it would give gas station owners the option to allow self-service and offer a discount for drivers who pump their own gas.

Lawmakers and residents alike have long been split on the issue.

"The only thing we have left in this state is that we don't have to pump our own gas," Mahwah resident Kevin Carpentier told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock. "It's a nuisance. You get a little smelly ... You get it over with."

"Do you appreciate that somebody else pumps your gas?" Murdock asked driver Samantha Vanegas.

"Yes ... 'cause number one, it's dirty," Vanegas said.

Good news for Carpentier and Vanegas -- even if the bill comes law, an attendant can still pump your gas if you don't choose to pump your own.

Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro says its win-win for small-businesses and consumers.

"Everyone wants a savings," she said.

Stations spend less on employment, and savings get passed on to those pumping their own.

"That is our goal and that's why I'm on board with it," Chaparro said.

"Should bring a savings at the self-serve pump about 15 cents a gallon or more," said Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience Store and Automotive Association (NJGCA).

The NJGCA, the same association that pushed to make it illegal for you to pump your own gas, fully backs the bill.

"It's 60 years later and things have changed greatly," Risalvato said.

He says the labor shortage hit stations hard, and this will help. He assures CBS2, pump your own and you will save.

"You can definitely pump your own gas, it's easy ... When there are long lines, yeah," Lyndhurst resident Juan Muniz said.

Muniz put on his mask to partially hide his identity before saying, "My wife would probably have a hard time doing it."

"I want them to pump the gas. Listen, I feel pretty special," Weehawken resident Paul Fried said.

His passenger, Laura Aquino of Allendale, says given the choice, "With gas prices being what they are, I probably would try to save the money."

And know Risalvato says this will not displace employees, but orange cones.

"Every one of those cones is there not because the pump is out of gas, it's because the pump doesn't have any employee there," he said. "We're going to displace an orange cone."

With the bill, drivers with disabilities can have an attendant pump their gas at the discounted price.

Where do you stand? Let us know in the poll above.