DOJ sues eBay for selling ‘rolling coal’ devices; fines could hit $2 billion

[seafoam1 1,881]

KEY POINTS

• The Department of Justice alleged that eBay has allowed more than 343,000 illegal “rolling coal” pollution devices to sell on its platform.
• Each of the alleged transactions would come with up to a $5,580 fine under the Clean Air Act.
• Rolling coal is the practice of tampering with a vehicle’s emissions control system, causing it to spew black clouds of sooty exhaust

 

Ebay could be on the hook for as much as $2 billion in fines for allegedly allowing hundreds of thousands of “rolling coal” pollution devices and other products that violate environmental laws to be sold on its platform.

Rolling coal is the practice of installing a tampering device to pump more diesel into a vehicle’s engine than it can handle, leading it to spew out sooty black clouds of exhaust that pollute the air.

The practice is sometimes used as a form of anti-environmental protest. Coal rollers, or the drivers who engage in the action, may intentionally target Teslas, Priuses or other electric or hybrid vehicles.

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, filed a lawsuit claiming that the e-commerce giant enabled the sale of more than 343,000 rolling coal devices. Each sale could spur a fine of up to $5,580 under the Clean Air Act.

Ebay denied the charges in a public statement, saying it has blocked “more than 99.9% the listings for the products cited by the DOJ, including millions of listings each year.”

“And eBay has partnered closely with law enforcement, including the DOJ, for over two decades on identifying emerging risks and assisting with prevention and enforcement,” the online retailer said.

The DOJ’s 61-page complaint included screenshots of emissions tampering devices that were listed on eBay’s platform.

Rolling coal devices are among several tools that can be used to disable or tamper with a vehicle’s pre-installed emissions control systems, which the EPA requires of all vehicles.

Under the Clean Air Act, tampering with a vehicle’s emissions control systems and selling those tampering tools are illegal. Only some states, like New Jersey, Maryland and Maine, have banned the practice in their own jurisdictions.

In addition to rolling coal products, prosecutors argue that eBay allowed the sale of more than 5,600 dangerous methylene chloride paint removers and at least 23,000 prohibited pesticide products, both of which the EPA banned for their safety hazards.

“eBay has the power, the authority, and the resources to stop the sale of these illegal, harmful products on its website. It has chosen not to,” prosecutors said in the filing.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/doj-sues-ebay-for-rolling-coal-devices-fines-could-hit-2-billion.html

[Hardcore troubadour 12,866]

12 minutes ago, seafoam1 said:

KEY POINTS

• The Department of Justice alleged that eBay has allowed more than 343,000 illegal “rolling coal” pollution devices to sell on its platform.
• Each of the alleged transactions would come with up to a $5,580 fine under the Clean Air Act.
• Rolling coal is the practice of tampering with a vehicle’s emissions control system, causing it to spew black clouds of sooty exhaust

 

Ebay could be on the hook for as much as $2 billion in fines for allegedly allowing hundreds of thousands of “rolling coal” pollution devices and other products that violate environmental laws to be sold on its platform.

Rolling coal is the practice of installing a tampering device to pump more diesel into a vehicle’s engine than it can handle, leading it to spew out sooty black clouds of exhaust that pollute the air.

The practice is sometimes used as a form of anti-environmental protest. Coal rollers, or the drivers who engage in the action, may intentionally target Teslas, Priuses or other electric or hybrid vehicles.

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, filed a lawsuit claiming that the e-commerce giant enabled the sale of more than 343,000 rolling coal devices. Each sale could spur a fine of up to $5,580 under the Clean Air Act.

Ebay denied the charges in a public statement, saying it has blocked “more than 99.9% the listings for the products cited by the DOJ, including millions of listings each year.”

“And eBay has partnered closely with law enforcement, including the DOJ, for over two decades on identifying emerging risks and assisting with prevention and enforcement,” the online retailer said.

The DOJ’s 61-page complaint included screenshots of emissions tampering devices that were listed on eBay’s platform.

Rolling coal devices are among several tools that can be used to disable or tamper with a vehicle’s pre-installed emissions control systems, which the EPA requires of all vehicles.

Under the Clean Air Act, tampering with a vehicle’s emissions control systems and selling those tampering tools are illegal. Only some states, like New Jersey, Maryland and Maine, have banned the practice in their own jurisdictions.

In addition to rolling coal products, prosecutors argue that eBay allowed the sale of more than 5,600 dangerous methylene chloride paint removers and at least 23,000 prohibited pesticide products, both of which the EPA banned for their safety hazards.

“eBay has the power, the authority, and the resources to stop the sale of these illegal, harmful products on its website. It has chosen not to,” prosecutors said in the filing.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/doj-sues-ebay-for-rolling-coal-devices-fines-could-hit-2-billion.html

Ukraine needs the money. 

[Tree of Knowledge 892]

They just need to give money to the Big Guy and the problem will go away.  

[GutterBoy 2,317]

I never even knew this was a thing, rolling coal.

Man some people are just straight up ass holes.

[jonmx 1,663]

6 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Ukraine needs the money. 

Hamas needs the money. 

[seafoam1 1,881]

8 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Ukraine needs the money. 

 

4 minutes ago, Tree of Knowledge said:

They just need to give money to the Big Guy and the problem will go away.  

Spot on. This is what the back rooms of our current day government are filled with. A bunch of drunken old liberals thinking hard about how to squeeze money from the people and businesses of the US and to put the focus on the blame they cast upon the people instead of the money grab and the wasted resource use on their own processes and actions.  

Now let's get out there and raise some taxes. The war in Europe and creepy Joe need the money.

[thegeneral 1,491]

If you put one of these devices are your truck or car you are a complete moron.

[Drizzay 648]

I'm gonna buy some, to go along with my whistle tips!  Wooo woooo!

 

 

[GutterBoy 2,317]

There has to be a correlation between rolling coal and truck nutz.

[Cdub100 3,430]

I've never heard the term rolling coal. Now a coal burner I've heard and someone to stay away from.

[peenie 1,701]

3 hours ago, GutterBoy said:

I never even knew this was a thing, rolling coal.

Man some people are just straight up ass holes.

This ^^^

[seafoam1 1,881]

Just now, peenie said:

This ^^^

Not this ^^^

[jonmx 1,663]

Just another anti-black policy which proves institutional racism exists.   Why not go after white smoke?  Clearly racial profiling. 

[MTSkiBum 1,602]

50 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

If you put one of these devices are your truck or car you are a complete moron.

They increase fuel economy and make the truck more reliable. Emissions equipment is a major problem on newer diesel trucks, it is not uncommon to have a emissions equipment failure that causes 5-10k in vehicle repairs. When that happens these delete kits are much cheaper than fixing the vehicle responsibly. The problem is not the consumer. It makes sense to install a delete kit, other than the pollution issue.

Emissions equipment has gotten more reliable, the problem with diesel emission system failures was primarily from 2007-2015ish. It took the big 3 a few years to figure out how to reliably making low emissions diesel, however the delete mentality still persists amongst many diesel owners. 

 

 

I support the government cracking down on these. We need to start improving air quality and diesel vehicle's emit significantly more pollution than a gas powered vehicle, specifically NOx, but particulates, SOx, and ozone as well.

 

[thegeneral 1,491]

10 minutes ago, MTSkiBum said:

They increase fuel economy and make the truck more reliable. Emissions equipment is a major problem on newer diesel trucks, it is not uncommon to have a emissions equipment failure that causes 5-10k in vehicle repairs. When that happens these delete kits are much cheaper than fixing the vehicle responsibly. The problem is not the consumer. It makes sense to install a delete kit, other than the pollution issue.

Emissions equipment has gotten more reliable, the problem with diesel emission system failures was primarily from 2007-2015ish. It took the big 3 a few years to figure out how to reliably making low emissions diesel, however the delete mentality still persists amongst many diesel owners. 

 

 

I support the government cracking down on these. We need to start improving air quality and diesel vehicle's emit significantly more pollution than a gas powered vehicle, specifically NOx, but particulates, SOx, and ozone as well.

 

Thats too bad about people’s diesel trucks. Sometimes people make bad purchases.

[wiffleball 4,660]

The reality is, the bunker fuel that the cargo and cruise ships among others burn right off our coastlines is literally a million times worse than where you could attribute to the effects of these coal rollers and every single motor vehicle in the country. But meanwhile, we still have states that are outlawing lawn mowers. Cuz that's going to make a difference.

[seafoam1 1,881]

"Coal rollers".  

No one has ever heard that term in their life but since the DOJ says it's happening and is going for the quick money grab, well, the liberals are all on board. 

[thegeneral 1,491]

1 minute ago, seafoam1 said:

"Coal rollers".  

No one has ever heard that term in their life but since the DOJ says it's happening and is going for the quick money grab, well, the liberals are all on board. 

The article you posted says how many they sold. It’s not a mystery. 

[seafoam1 1,881]

3 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

The article you posted says how many they sold. It’s not a mystery. 

They denied a lot of the lies that were being told against them. 

[thegeneral 1,491]

2 minutes ago, seafoam1 said:

They denied a lot of the lies that were being told against them. 

Will be pretty easy to see what was sold.

Why do you support illegal devices being sold on eBay?

[seafoam1 1,881]

2 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

Will be pretty easy to see what was sold.

Why do you support illegal devices being sold on eBay?

What devices and what cars are you talking about? Since it's so rampant, you should be able to go to ebay and find a bunch of them. Just link them here.

[thegeneral 1,491]

2 minutes ago, seafoam1 said:

What devices and what cars are you talking about? 

“The Department of Justice alleged that eBay has allowed more than 343,000 illegal “rolling coal” pollution devices to sell on its platform.

Each of the alleged transactions would come with up to a $5,580 fine under the Clean Air Act.”

 

 

[seafoam1 1,881]

10 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

“The Department of Justice alleged that eBay has allowed more than 343,000 illegal “rolling coal” pollution devices to sell on its platform.

Each of the alleged transactions would come with up to a $5,580 fine under the Clean Air Act.”

 

 

I know they allege it. That's the whole point. They are in money grab mode. The DOJ is more corrupt today than ever in history. 

Ebay denies it. You side with the DOJ over American businesses without knowing the truth. 

[MTSkiBum 1,602]

10 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

“The Department of Justice alleged that eBay has allowed more than 343,000 illegal “rolling coal” pollution devices to sell on its platform.

Each of the alleged transactions would come with up to a $5,580 fine under the Clean Air Act.”

 

 

Those devices only cause "rolling coal" when configured incorrectly.

 

[MTSkiBum 1,602]

4 minutes ago, seafoam1 said:

I know they allege it. That's the whole point. They are in money grab mode. The DOJ is more corrupt today than ever in history. 

That may be true but these devices need to go.

Going after the sellers is a good first step.

[seafoam1 1,881]

Just now, MTSkiBum said:

That may be true but these devices need to go.

Well, that's a whole other topic. Ebay doesn't build them and put them in cars and configure them incorrectly. 

[thegeneral 1,491]

Just now, MTSkiBum said:

Those devices only cause "rolling coal" when configured incorrectly.

It seems pretty cut and dry if the device is deemed illegal. We’ll see what eBay lawyers have to say, something like we can’t filter them all and we made best efforts or something I would guess and they agree to paying a portion of the fine along with new polices in place to help prohibit these and other products from being sold.

Looks like people were also selling illegal paint removers and pesticide products through eBay. 

[thegeneral 1,491]

9 minutes ago, seafoam1 said:

I know they allege it. That's the whole point. They are in money grab mode. The DOJ is more corrupt today than ever in history. 

Ebay denies it. You side with the DOJ over American businesses without knowing the truth. 

We’ll see. The language used in the article says they worked to prohibit the sale of 99.9% of products - this includes other illegal items listed in the suit. That seems to acknowledge some of these items were sold in itself. 

Their defense looks like it will be we can’t catch them all and are making best efforts.

Do you think these items should be sold on there?

[thegeneral 1,491]

The point remains if you put one of these things on your truck with the purpose of rolling coal you are a complete focking moron

[Reality 2,710]

Always impressed with how quickly liberals fall in line, none of you had ever even heard of this before today.

Thanks for the insight skibum, it's always appreciated.

[thegeneral 1,491]

3 minutes ago, Reality said:

Always impressed with how quickly liberals fall in line, none of you had ever even heard of this before today.

Thanks for the insight skibum, it's always appreciated.

What are you talking about? You people know there’s like 12 people on here right and a couple people saying something isn’t indicative of much at all.

I had heard of rolling coal. I was unaware that people buy these kits to fix their focked up trucks cheaply if that is a thing. I’ll take Skibums word for this.

Putting these things on your truck to blow a bunch of black smoke out is the apex of stupidity. Putting them on to fix your busted truck while that sucks it broke and is expensive to fix properly is going to be filed under too bad.

EBay getting busted for selling these isn’t a cash grab by the Feds. It’s enforcing laws. 

[seafoam1 1,881]

11 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

The point remains if you put one of these things on your truck with the purpose of rolling coal you are a complete focking moron

Or an illegal trying to cause damage and destruction to the US. 

If they catch people trying to sell illegal stuff, go after the seller and stop putting it all on the website to enforce the law to absurd levels. I'm sure they do what they can.

Maybe just stop illegals from selling things. 

[Engorgeous George 1,240]

Lots of you tube on these idiots rollingn coal on Teslas or bikers who they seem to hate equally.  I've had it happen to me while biking.

[thegeneral 1,491]

19 minutes ago, seafoam1 said:

Or an illegal trying to cause damage and destruction to the US. 

If they catch people trying to sell illegal stuff, go after the seller and stop putting it all on the website to enforce the law to absurd levels. I'm sure they do what they can.

Maybe just stop illegals from selling things. 

A business bears some responsibility for what they do. If eBay is selling hundreds of thousands of these devices they are not trying hard enough, hence fines and stiffened regulation because they at best aren’t capable of regulating properly.

[seafoam1 1,881]

2 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

A business bears some responsibility for what they do. If eBay is selling hundreds of thousands of these devices they are not trying hard enough, hence fines and stiffened regulation because they at best aren’t capable of regulating properly.

They said they are not. The DOJ is just going in for the money grab. It's old news with liberal run governments weaponizing the DOJ against the people. 

[thegeneral 1,491]

2 minutes ago, seafoam1 said:

They said they are not. The DOJ is just going in for the money grab. It's old news with liberal run governments weaponizing the DOJ against the people. 

Oh well the case is settled then. They said so

 

[Mike Honcho 4,089]

Quote

The practice is sometimes used as a form of anti-environmental protest. Coal rollers, or the drivers who engage in the action, may intentionally target Teslas, Priuses or other electric or hybrid vehicles.

What does that mean that they may intentionally target those cars?  are they saying they cover them in smoke? 

[thegeneral 1,491]

19 minutes ago, Mike Honcho said:

What does that mean that they may intentionally target those cars?  are they saying they cover them in smoke? 

Yep. Some dopes get in front of cars, or bikers, or hippies, or whoever these twats think “deserve” to be showered in black smoke and roll coal. It’s ultimate redneckery.

 

[Engorgeous George 1,240]

Bing Videos

[Engorgeous George 1,240]

Misdemeanor assault and or battery depending upon the jurisdiction.