The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(August 2023) |
Rolling coal (also spelled rollin' coal) is the practice of modifying a diesel engine to deliberately emit large amounts of black or grey diesel exhaust, containing soot and incompletely combusted diesel. Rolling coal is used as a form of anti-environmentalism protest. [1] In most jurisdictions it is illegal, due to violating clean air laws, and also reduces the fuel economy of the vehicle.
Modifications may include the intentional removal of the particulate filter, [2] installing smoke switches, large exhausts, [3] and smoke stacks. Modifications to a vehicle to enable rolling coal typically cost from US$200 to US$5,000. [4] [5]
Rolling coal is a form of conspicuous air pollution, used for entertainment or as protest. [4] Some drivers intentionally trigger coal rolling in the presence of hybrid vehicles (a practice nicknamed "Prius repellent") to cause their drivers to lose sight of the road and inhale harmful air pollution. Coal rolling may also be directed at foreign vehicles, bicyclists, protesters, and pedestrians. [6] [7] [8] [9] Practitioners cite "American freedom" and a stand against "rampant environmentalism" as reasons for coal rolling. [10] [11]
A concern is road traffic safety violations, as the black smoke impairs visibility, increasing the risks of motor vehicle crashes, [12] and is a violation of clean air laws.
Some incidents have led to injuries. In 2021, six bicyclists training for a road race were run over by a 16-year-old who was rolling coal along Business U.S. Highway 290 in Waller County, Texas, outside Houston. Two of the cyclists were injured severely enough to require medical evacuation by helicopter. The motorist was not charged at the time of the accident; local cyclists' groups were outraged. [13] He was later charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. [14]
In July 2014, the United States Environmental Protection Agency stated that the practice was illegal, as it violated the Clean Air Act which prohibits the manufacturing, sale, and installation "of a part for a motor vehicle that bypasses, defeats, or renders inoperative any emission control device" and "prohibits anyone from tampering with an emission control device on a motor vehicle by removing it or making it inoperable prior to or after the sale or delivery to the buyer." [15] [16] [17]
The Environmental Protection Agency has made it a "national priority" to erase what it says is "a significant contributor to air pollution." A 2020 EPA report said 15 percent of diesel trucks in the U.S. are rigged to "delete" emissions controls. According to government estimates, the practice can increase nitrogen oxide emissions as much as 310 times, non-methane hydrocarbons 1,400 times, and carbon monoxide 120 times. ... "Businesses that manufacture and sell illegal devices to defeat a vehicle's emissions controls foster pollution and risk decades of progress in curtailing harmful emissions from motor vehicles in this country," said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. [18]
In 2023, companies in Idaho and California pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and agreed to fines of US$1 million each. [18]
State | Bill | Year | Effective | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado | HB16-1319 [19] | 2016 | N/A | |
Colorado | HB17-1102 [20] | 2017 | N/A | |
Colorado | SB17-278 [21] | 2017 | June 5, 2017 [22] | "A person who violates the prohibition commits a class A traffic infraction, punishable by a fine of $100." |
Connecticut | HB-6975 [23] | 2017 | October 1, 2017 | "Any person who violates the provisions of this subdivision shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both." |
Connecticut | HB-5871 [24] | 2019 | N/A | "To prevent bias attacks which employ the practice of 'rolling coal' ... any person guilty of intimidation based on bigotry or bias in the fourth degree shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor." |
Idaho | SB1130 [25] | 2017 | N/A [26] | |
Illinois | HB3553 [27] | 2015 | N/A | In March 2015, Illinois General Assembly representative Will Guzzardi published a bill proposing to impose a US$5,000 fine on anyone who removes or alters their vehicle's EPA emissions equipment. Guzzardi has made it clear that "The fine would come on top of any penalties enforced by the current law that prohibits emissions tampering." [28] |
Maine | 2113 | 2019 | 2019 | Prohibits operating a diesel-powered motor vehicle under 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) gross weight that emits visible smoke on a public way or parking area because of an alteration to the air pollution control system. Violation is a traffic infraction subject to a penalty not exceeding US$100. |
Maryland | HB848 [29] | 2016 | N/A | |
Maryland | HB11 [30] | 2017 | October 1, 2017 [31] | |
Massachusetts | H.3097 [32] | 2019 | N/A | |
New Jersey | SB2418 [33] | 2014 | May 4, 2015 | In May 2015, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law prohibiting the retrofitting of diesel-powered vehicles to increase particulate emissions for the purpose of coal rolling. Those found in violation are subject to a fine by the state's Department of Environmental Protection. The bill was introduced by state Assemblyman Tim Eustace after a pickup truck blasted smoke at Eustace's Nissan Leaf while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. [34] |
New York | S8201 [35] | 2016 | N/A | |
New York | S37 [36] | 2017 | N/A | |
New York | S38 [37] | 2019 | N/A | |
Utah | HB110 [38] | 2015 | May 12, 2015 | |
Utah | HB171 [39] | 2018 | N/A [40] | |
Utah | HB139 [41] | 2019 | N/A |
California law prohibits operating a vehicle "in a manner resulting in the escape of excessive smoke, flame, gas, oil, or fuel residue." [42] The California Highway Patrol or local police can cite a vehicle under this section or others for rolling coal. [43]
Prohibits nuisance exhibition of motor vehicle exhaust, which is the knowing release of soot, smoke, or other particulate emissions from a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 pounds or less into the air and onto roadways, other motor vehicles, bicyclists, or pedestrians, in a manner that obstructs or obscures another person's view of the roadway, other users of the roadway, or a traffic control device or otherwise creates a hazard to a driver, bicyclist, or pedestrian. [21] [44]
No person shall operate a motor vehicle in a manner that causes a visual exhibition of smoke that consists of the release of soot, smoke or other particulate emissions to the air and onto roadways, other motor vehicles, bicyclists or pedestrians, with the intent to (a) cause a reasonable person to feel harassed, annoyed or alarmed, (b) obstruct or obscure any person's view of the roadway, other users of the roadway or a traffic control device, or (c) create a hazard to a motor vehicle operator, bicyclist or pedestrian. [45]
"The engine and power mechanism of a motor vehicle must be equipped and adjusted so as to prevent escape of excessive fumes or smoke." [46]
Vehicles must be equipped and adjusted to prevent the escape of excessive fumes or smoke. [47]
A person may not knowingly or intentionally cause a diesel-powered motor vehicle to discharge clearly visible smoke, soot, or other exhaust emissions onto another person or motor vehicle. Normal operations, commercial vehicles of 10,000 pounds or more, and construction site vehicles are exempt. [48]
"No person operating a diesel-powered vehicle shall intentionally release significant quantities of soot, smoke, or other particulate emissions into the air, onto roadways or other vehicles in a manner that obstructs or obscures another person's view of the roadway, other users of the roadway, or a traffic control device or otherwise creates a hazard to a driver." [49]
No person shall retrofit any diesel-powered vehicle with any device, smoke stack (i.e., hood stack or bed stack), or other equipment which enhances the vehicle's capacity to emit soot, smoke, or other particulate emissions, or shall purposely release significant quantities of soot, smoke, or other particulate emissions into the air and onto roadways and other vehicles while operating the vehicle, colloquially referred to as "coal rolling." [50]
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regulations also prohibit "smoking vehicles", and the department has a reporting hotline. [51]
In 2016, a question to the Western North Carolina Air Quality Director about "rolling coal" referenced state law. [52] Vehicles driven on a highway must have equipment to prevent "annoying smoke and smoke screens." [53] During any mode of operation, diesel-powered vehicles cannot emit for longer than five consecutive seconds visible contaminants darker than a specific density. [54]
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) decommissioned its state-wide smoking vehicle reporting program. [55] Reports on smoking vehicles can still be made through the North Central Texas Regional Smoking Vehicle Program in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, which includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise counties. [56]
The Department of Motor Vehicles may suspend or revoke a vehicle's registration if notified by a local health department that the vehicle is unable to meet state or local air emissions standards. [57] Except during warmup or heavy tow, or for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight greater than 26,000 pounds, a diesel engine may not emit visible contaminants during operation if manufactured after 2007, or may not emit contaminants greater than a specific density if manufactured before 2008. [58]
An incident of coal rolling on a cyclist was captured on camera in August 2018 and referred to the Kane County attorney. [59] In March 2020, cast members of the Utah-based Diesel Brothers reality television series, and the companies they own, were fined a total of US$850,000 for Clean Air Act violations. [60]
It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in a nuisance exhibition of motor vehicle exhaust, which is the knowing release of soot, smoke, or other particulate emissions from a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 pounds or less into the air and onto roadways, other motor vehicles, bicyclists, or pedestrians, in a manner that obstructs or obscures another person's view of the roadway, other users of the roadways, or a traffic control device or otherwise creates a hazard to a driver, bicyclist, or pedestrian. The ordinance, which was passed in September 2017, exempts several categories of vehicles, and provides for a fine up to US$499. [61]
The engine and power mechanism of every motor vehicle shall be so equipped and adjusted as to prevent the escape of excessive fumes or smoke. [62] [63]
These counties have "smoking vehicle" report forms online. [64]
A person shall not engage in a nuisance exhibition of motor vehicle exhaust, which is the knowing release of soot, smoke, or other particulate emissions from a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of fourteen thousand (14,000) pounds or less into the air and onto roadways, other motor vehicles, bicyclists, or pedestrians, in a manner that obstructs or obscures another person's view of the roadway, other users of the roadway, or a traffic control device, or otherwise creates a hazard to a driver, bicyclist, or pedestrian. [65] The ordinance, which was passed in July 2017, exempts several categories of vehicles and provides for a fine of up to US$750 and up to six months in jail. [66] A first attempt in July 2016 failed, [66] but Cheyenne police had clarified at that time that they had been writing tickets for coal rolling under state law. [66]
Province | Bill | Year | Effective | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
British Columbia | M 232 [67] | 2017 | N/A | "This Bill would prohibit tampering with emissions control devices in motor vehicles after their sale." |
Ontario | Bill 132 | 2019 | December 2019 | Schedule 16, Section 11 |
"A person who contravenes this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of not less than CA$50 and not more than CA$5,000."
Section 75.1 of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act prohibits modifications to a vehicle's emissions systems to increase emissions output exceeding that of the manufacturer's specifications, and modifications which tamper a vehicle’s emission control system to bypass, disable or otherwise negate it. Furthermore, Ontario Regulation 169/22 restricts the opacity of vehicle emissions and modifications to a vehicle's emissions system. Violations can result in a fine ranging from CA$300 to CA$1,000 for non-commercial vehicles, and CA$400 to CA$20,000 for commercial vehicles. [68] [69]
In internal combustion engines, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions reduction technique used in petrol/gasoline, diesel engines and some hydrogen engines. EGR works by recirculating a portion of an engine's exhaust gas back to the engine cylinders. The exhaust gas displaces atmospheric air and reduces O2 in the combustion chamber. Reducing the amount of oxygen reduces the amount of fuel that can burn in the cylinder thereby reducing peak in-cylinder temperatures. The actual amount of recirculated exhaust gas varies with the engine operating parameters.
A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device which converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction. Catalytic converters are usually used with internal combustion engines fueled by gasoline or diesel, including lean-burn engines, and sometimes on kerosene heaters and stoves.
Soot is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Soot is considered a hazardous substance with carcinogenic properties. Most broadly, the term includes all the particulate matter produced by this process, including black carbon and residual pyrolysed fuel particles such as coal, cenospheres, charred wood, and petroleum coke classified as cokes or char. It can include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals like mercury.
Vehicle emissions control is the study of reducing the emissions produced by motor vehicles, especially internal combustion engines. The primary emissions studied include hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and sulfur oxides. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, various regulatory agencies were formed with a primary focus on studying the vehicle emissions and their effects on human health and the environment. As the worlds understanding of vehicle emissions improved, so did the devices used to mitigate their impacts. The regulatory requirements of the Clean Air Act, which was amended many times, greatly restricted acceptable vehicle emissions. With the restrictions, vehicles started being designed more efficiently by utilizing various emission control systems and devices which became more common in vehicles over time.
Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, fuel oil, biodiesel blends, or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe, flue gas stack, or propelling nozzle. It often disperses downwind in a pattern called an exhaust plume.
Engine braking occurs when the retarding forces within an internal combustion engine are used to slow down a motor vehicle, as opposed to using additional external braking mechanisms such as friction brakes or magnetic brakes.
Diesel exhaust is the exhaust gas produced by a diesel engine, plus any contained particulates. Its composition may vary with the fuel type, rate of consumption or speed of engine operation, and whether the engine is in an on-road vehicle, farm vehicle, locomotive, marine vessel, or stationary generator or other application.
An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system design, the exhaust gas may flow through one or more of the following:
Diesel exhaust fluid is a liquid used to reduce the amount of air pollution created by a diesel engine. Specifically, DEF is an aqueous urea solution made with 32.5% urea and 67.5% deionized water. DEF is consumed in a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) that lowers the concentration of nitrogen oxides in the diesel exhaust emissions from a diesel engine.
The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and European Economic Area member states and the United Kingdom, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a series of European Union directives staging the progressive introduction of increasingly stringent standards.
A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a device designed to remove diesel particulate matter or soot from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine.
Black carbon (BC) is the light-absorbing refractory form of elemental carbon remaining after pyrolysis or produced by incomplete combustion.
A portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) is a vehicle emissions testing device that is small and light enough to be carried inside or moved with a motor vehicle that is being driven during testing, rather than on the stationary rollers of a dynamometer that only simulates real-world driving.
United States vehicle emission standards are set through a combination of legislative mandates enacted by Congress through Clean Air Act (CAA) amendments from 1970 onwards, and executive regulations managed nationally by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and more recently along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These standards cover tailpipe pollution, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions, and newer versions have incorporated fuel economy standards. However they lag behind European emission standards, which limit air pollution from brakes and tires.
The California Statewide Truck and Bus Rule was initially adopted in December 2008 by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and requires all heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses that operate in California to retrofit or replace engines in order to reduce diesel emissions. All privately and federally owned diesel-fueled trucks and buses, and privately and publicly owned school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds, are covered by the regulation.
The health of a mother directly affects the fetus during pregnancy. High levels of vehicle pollution where pregnant women reside can have adverse health effects on fetuses.
The Motor Vehicles Act is an Act of the Parliament of India which regulates all aspects of road transport vehicles. The Act provides in detail the legislative provisions regarding licensing of drivers/conductors, registration of motor vehicles, control of motor vehicles through permits, special provisions relating to state transport undertakings, traffic regulation, insurance, liability, offences and penalties, etc. For exercising the legislative provisions of the Act, the Government of India made the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989.
AIR-INK is a proprietary brand of ink and composites products made by condensing carbon-based gaseous effluents generated by air pollution due to incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Founded by Graviky Labs, a spin-off group of MIT Media Lab, AIR-INK produces its materials through a step-by-step process which primarily involves capturing of emissions, separation of carbon from the emissions, and then mixing of this carbon with different types of oils and solutions to achieve advanced material properties. It uses a patented device and technique called 'KAALINK' to carry out the filtration of soot, which contains carbon and other polluting agents like heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.
Diesel Brothers is an American reality television series. The series premiered on January 4, 2016, on Discovery Channel. The program follows a group of friends in Utah who repair and customize pickup trucks.
From 2014 onwards, software which manipulated air pollution tests was discovered in vehicles from some car makers; the software recognized when the standardized emissions test was being done, and adjusted the engine to emit less during the test. The cars emitted much higher levels of pollution under real-world driving conditions. Some cars' emissions were higher even though there was no manipulated software.
Anti-environmentalists have found a new medium for exhausting their anger: exhaust. Literally. [...] Some truck enthusiasts are intentionally producing copious amounts of diesel exhaust, spewing black smoke into the air as a form of political protest. It's called "rolling coal."
TCEQ has decommissioned its smoking vehicle program.
Implementation Region [...] The North Central Texas region encompasses Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise counties.
Councilman Rocky Case has a message for diesel truck owners who "roll coal" on Cheyenne's streets, "We're not going to tolerate it anymore." [...] State statute already lets police hit offenders with $100 fines, but the Cheyenne City Council voted 8 to 1 Monday night to put the law on the city books, making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $750 fine.