WASHINGTON 鈥� Cyclists, drivers and pedestrians say they鈥檝e experienced it: A passing vehicle, generally a pickup truck, suddenly spews a thick plume of choking, black smoke.
It鈥檚 called 鈥渞olling coal鈥� or 鈥渃oal rolling鈥� and it鈥檚 against the law in New Jersey, but not in Maryland. Not yet.
But Maryland state Del. Clarence Lam would like to change that.
Lam has sponsored House Bill 11, designed to make coal rolling illegal. Lam, who represents parts of Baltimore and Howard counties, told 草莓传媒: 鈥淚t鈥檚 really a practice that concerns us. Not only because it鈥檚 harmful for the environment, but more importantly because it鈥檚 harmful for public safety.鈥�
Lam鈥檚 office has received lots of input from Marylanders who say they鈥檝e experienced coal rolling, most of them cyclists. All of them explained that the smoke leaves them gasping for air, and often blinded to what鈥檚 on the road in front of them. Drivers have also been targets of coal-rolling, and complain that the smoke leaves a thick residue that鈥檚 tough to remove.
Allen Schaefer is the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, based in Frederick, Maryland. Schaefer鈥檚 organization backs the ban on coal rolling. DTF鈥檚 website explains that to get a vehicle to emit the plumes of black smoke, owners have to modify their vehicles.
In a statement on the website, Schaefer states: 鈥淭he diesel industry is extremely disappointed that a small segment of diesel pickup truck owners have chosen to tamper with the emissions and engine control systems.”
Schaefer said his organization is happy to back Lam鈥檚 legislation.
鈥淲e are all in favor of getting the gross emitters off the road, and making sure that today鈥檚 clean diesels are operating in the way that manufacturers intended,
Lam said this isn鈥檛 the first time the bill has been proposed. Last year a similar proposal got over 100 votes in the House, but failed in the Senate. Lam chalked that up to moving it relatively late in the last session.
鈥淭his year we put the bill in relatively early, and so we鈥檙e hoping that it will get full consideration in the Senate and that it will be expeditiously passed through the Senate and into law.鈥�
If passed by the Maryland General Assembly, the ban would go into effect Oct. 1
Mike Lamb, a Maryland resident, wrote to Lam鈥檚 office in support of House Bill 11 and submitted a video of his experience of being 鈥渃oal-rolled.鈥�
