Electric car-driving N.J. lawmaker: ban smoke-belching trucks

Electric car-driving N.J. lawmaker: ban smoke-belching trucks | NJ.com

TRENTON — An odd facet of the culture war has made its way to New Jersey.

A liberal New Jersey assemblyman personally experienced a fad called "rolling coal," in which drivers modify their diesel trucks to burn extra fuel and produce thick, black smoke.

And he wants to ban it.

Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen) said he was driving on the Turnpike last week in his Nissan Leaf – an electric car – when in front of him a raised pickup truck with a smoke stack belched black smoke, engulfing his diminutive vehicle.

“People had been telling this has been going on, but I hadn’t seen it,” Eustace said. “I was surprised to experience it myself.”

Eustace said he already planned to introduce a bill on the subject. The Turnpike encounter happened to occur a week before he actually had an opportunity to formally introduce it.

The bill (A3583) would prohibit “retrofitting diesel-powered vehicles to increase particulate emissions for the purpose of ‘coal rolling’” and ban “the practice of ‘coal rolling.’” The bill would allow the Department of Environmental Protection to levy large fines on violators.

Tractor pull vehicles have "rolled coal" for years. But YouTube videos of drivers purposely blowing smoke at hybrids and small cars have been popular over the last couple years.

But Eustace – one of the Legislature’s most electric car-friendly legislators – said he doesn’t think rolling coal is really a statement against the scientific consensus on climate change, as many on the internet take it to be.

“I wish it was that thought out,” he said. “I think it’s just youthful ignorance.”

Then again, Eustace’s bill might not be necessary. A spokeswoman for the federal Environmental Protection Agency told the liberal news website Talking Points Memo last month that modifying trucks to roll coal is already a violation of the Clean Air Act and that it has already forced some manufacturers to stop selling products that enable it.

And state DEP regulations already state vehicles "shall not emit visible smoke, whether from crankcase emissions or from tailpipe exhaust, for a period in excess of three consecutive seconds."

 

Well I guess im just going to have to get into it for 3 seconds, get off and get in on it again for 3 seconds, ect. ect. ect.

 

What gets me is the verbiage that truck owners are "retrofitting their trucks to emit more particulates for the purpose of coal rolling". What an Idiot, the soot just happens to be a byproduct of the modifications, not the purpose for the mods.

 

Not so sure about that.Yes its a by product of modifications but if you go on you tube there are idiots everywhere pulling up to cars that have there window open and completely blowing coal right into there vehicle.I mean a total black out.I have to think some fools are doing it just for that very reason.

 

They're probably "Rollin coal" on purpose, but I guess I meant that I don't think the original, primary purpose to spend that much money just to roll coal. But, come to think of it, there may be some that freaking ignorant. Just makes it bad on the rest of us.

 

Jersey has always been tough on smoke with commercial vehicles. That guy is just an idiot trying to make a name for himself. There are already laws against this in effect.

 

Absolutely right.One of these kids is gonna pull up to the wrong car and do this and make the evening news.

 

Oddly enough, we have an abundance of modified diesels here in the Deep South, and you just don't see that much of this type behavior down here, or at least I haven't noticed it too much. You would think it be worse down this way with our , "hey y'all, watch this" attitude. Which most areas a rural, even our cities, compared to the areas you see this happening most. By the same token, if you "roll coal" on the wrong person down here, you're apt to get rolled!(dust rolled that is!)

 

I will guaranty you that this will happen... If I ever caught anyone doing this to one of my family, I would make sure he never considered doing it again.....

Friggen @holes....

 

Or better yet, had the capacity to do it again!!

 

I can't rolls any coals no more?

 

Canucks are still good to go
EP what???

 

You gotta admit though, we all know the only reason that dude got smoked is because he was driving a Leaf! I hear lots of guys talking about targeting the electric cars for this kind of crap. The stereotypical persona of an electric vehicle driver is a magnet to that type behavior just like a 7th grade nerd is to a toilet bowl!

 

True, so true!!
And, the folks in the electrics (for the most part) are "eco-mentalists", and usually like to provoke this type of behavior, just so they can say "see what I mean..."
Thank God we don't have a lot of those down here yet either...

 

Rolling coal is popular among the young guys up here with mod'd trucks. They think it's cool to blow smoke on cyclists and electric cars. I think they are just morons that should get a life before any vehicle mods will be prohibited.