EPA: 'Coal Rolling' Is Illegal

[DonViejo]

DANIEL STRAUSS – JULY 7, 2014, 5:43 PM EDT

Coal rolling, a fad for trolling environmentalists, is against the law as far as the Environmental Protection Agency agency is concerned.

Anti-environmentalists have started rigging their trucks to expel more and darker exhaust than normal as a sort of counter-attack to environmentalists advocating lower emissions from vehicles. It's called "coal rolling."

TPM reached out to Liz Purchia, the press secretary for the EPA, about the changes. Purchia told TPM "the short answer is this is illegal."

Purchia pointed to two paragraphs on the air enforcement page of the EPA's website. One paragraph said:

It is a violation of the [Clean Air Act] to manufacture, sell, or install a part for a motor vehicle that bypasses, defeats, or renders inoperative any emission control device. For example, computer software that alters diesel fuel injection timing is a defeat device. Defeat devices, which are often sold to enhance engine performance, work by disabling a vehicle's emission controls, causing air pollution. As a result of EPA enforcement, some of the largest manufacturers of defeat devices have agreed to pay penalties and stop the sale of defeat devices.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/epa-coal-rolling-short-answer-illegal

[mark eagledove]

1. told ya!

someone said we should just ignore them. Arrest these pieces of shit. I'd love to see a gigantic fine or better yet, make them sit there all day and breathe these toxins.

when I said someone will get hurt, I meant a lack of visibility/car wreck from the smoke.

[AAO]

13. Carbon tax their asses into bankruptcy!

[Gman]

2. Aside from the EPA

Many cities have ordinances against excessive smoke from a vehicle mainly because it's annoying as well as unhealthy.

[tridim]

3. I can't imagine it's legal to release a targeted smoke screen on a public road.

[malaise]

4. Then lock them up

or STFU

[pnwmom]

22. What is that supposed to mean? The EPA itself can't lock up every jerk who does this.

But it CAN point out to local law enforcement that this is a crime.

[joshcryer]

31. The EPA actually has its own enforcement branch.

With fully authorized law enforcement officers, though they do employ local authorities when appropriate. These guys can very easily go to jail. The EPA doesn't mess around. I think though that they're small potatoes and if they did it they'd have to go after the whole "gang" of guys doing it.

[pnwmom]

33. It isn't big enough to cover all the places where this could be happening.

But I agree that going after the "big potatoes" is the better approach.

[joshcryer]

37. They definitely need to pick a few guys to send a message.

What they're doing is a federal level crime. At the minimum it'd shut them up and make them stop proselytizing about how evil anti-pollution laws are.

[malaise]

38. Too many persons who violate the law

are never charged. See the Bundy mess for example.

[Brickbat]

5. "Fad."

[Kingofalldems]

6. No way! I want my 2nd amendment rights!

This is HUGH! We are coming to DC to remove Obama once more.

[freshwest]

7. All right! K & R!

[bullwinkle428]

8. These fuckers see themselves as the new "Cliven Bundys du jour", hoping for

some kind of confrontation with a law enforcement agency over their obnoxious behavior.

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Can't wait for the first one to have their inspection sticker ripped up.

[TheMightyFavog]

32. And what about those of us who live in states that don't require inspections?

Does this mean we're stuck with these pricks?

[herding cats]

10. I didn't see how that would be allowed.

Thanks for letting us know it's not.

[Ken Burch]

11. They should call it "auto-douchebagging"

It's pretty much the same as lighting a Camel and blowing the smoke in a cancer kid's face.

[littlemissmartypants]

17. ..

[AngryAmish]

12. Has anyone ever seen this done?

I am sure it has been done. But as a regular practice. ...

[Orrex]

14. I've seen it a number of times traveling on I-79 north of Pittsburgh

The trucks are in generally good condition, so I inferred that it wasn't a matter of faulty performance.

Didn't realize until a few days ago that it's a "fad."

[mentalslavery]

15. Cheney Wa

Kid was walking down the street and truck did this to him. I thought, at the time, it was a mistake because I had never heard of this. Now, if I see it, I'm calling the cops. Imagine doing that to someone with a breathing problem and really doing some damage to them. These teabaggers are sooo irresponsible.

[littlemissmartypants]

18. Omg are you serious?

Every young redneck high schooler in my neighborhood is doing this.

~Rods, chicks, fumes and brain damage. Let's go to the beach for the hurricane and ride the rip currents. Right after we spit chewing tobacco juice on a pic of Obama. ~

Seriously.

[delrem]

30. You live in a brain damaged area of the world, then.

The high schoolers in my neighborhood (albeit in Canada) seem tremendously responsible and aware compared to the high schoolers of my day. I'm totally impressed by them.

[Sunlei]

16. Local authorities ignore the lawbreakers

For example, in Pennsylvania protesters against canned hunting are sprayed with sewage water and the local authorities do nothing.

[littlemissmartypants]

19. Arrest the asses. eom

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Kicking. This burns me up. nt

[RoccoR5955]

21. Stick one of their faces in the pipe

then eject the soot for them to breathe DIRECTLY.
Let's see how they like it when it's done to them!

[TheMightyFavog]

34. Like this?

[backscatter712]

36. Certainly explains their behavior...

[valerief]

23. The activist SCOTUS will change that! nt

[99Forever]

24. Great. Get back to me when they start enforcing that law.

I'd give odds that we won't see a damn thing done to these bozos.

All swag, no follow thru.

[ALBliberal]

25. Wake me up when there is an arrest

Sick of the double standards and crap these people get away with

[Renew Deal]

26. Offenders should be sent to FEMA camps

[LisaLynne]

28. HUSH UP!

Quit giving away the details of Secret Liberal Plan 87!

[PADemD]

27. Confiscate their vehicle, lose their license, heavy fine

That should put a stop to it.

[Barack_America]

29. I imagine these jackasses are buying the parts somewhere...

...and someone is installing them.

That's where you start.

I welcome someone to try this shit when I'm driving my Cmax. I would take great pleasure at trying to systematically destroy someone's life starting with their license plate. A most enjoyable puzzle.

[flvegan]

35. Token vegan laughs at thread response posters.

I'll just leave it there. LOL.

[appal_jack]

39. So asthma is a laughing matter now?

So asthma is a laughing matter now? Diesel soot is full of pretty serious lung irritants.I saw your weak analogy yesterday about how polluting the air is JUST LIKE someone eating a steak, but actually it's not at all. For the coal rolling analogy to fit, I'd have to fill your veins with the animal fats, against your will.

Not your most incisive commentary there, 5-gan. More 4-chan than vegan in this case.

-app