Senator Says Calls for Self-Serve to Put Downward Pressure on Prices at the Pump a ‘Shell Game’
TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, issued the following statement today regarding calls from several people, including State Senator Gerald Cardinale, D-Bergen, to switch to an optional self-service gas to lower fuel prices:
“What Senator Cardinale and other self-service advocates never mention in their quest to pump their own gas is that there are no guarantees that self-serve gas will lower prices at the pump.
“It’s a shell game, and the only ones who will see any significant savings will be the retailers, some of which are oil-company owned. Retailers will fire staff, cut attendant hours, and pocket the difference, without ever putting savings into lowering high gas prices. At the same time, seniors and disabled citizens will suffer, because there will be fewer attendants to help them.
“If self-service advocates want to debate the merits of their cause, they can go right ahead, but let’s not delude ourselves into thinking that self-service gas will be our saving grace from high gas prices. New Jersey has high gas prices, but so does every other state in the nation, whether self-serve is the law or not. We should look at State and federal initiatives to put downward pressure on prices at the pump, but we should not fall for the trap of self-serve gasoline as a means to control soaring gas costs for our drivers.”