Sneaky New Yorkers taking advantage of the city’s air-cleaning initiative are making up to $225,000 a year by reporting idle trucks to the city and then demanding a $350 fine reduction.
Leaving a truck engine idling for more than three minutes is a New York City offense and anyone who submits video evidence to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will receive $85 for each proven violation.
Environmental lawyer Ernest Welde, 47, says he presented evidence of thousands of violations last year that have yet to be processed, but which he estimates will net him between $200,000 and $225,000.
And former Marine Paul Slapikas, 81, says he made $64,000 in 2021 doing the same thing. Truckers caught with their engines idling have been known to pounce on anyone suspected of filming them, so Slapikas, who lives in Queens, has devised a tricky procedure to throw them off the trail.
He stands in front of an idling truck, acting like a lost tourist, with a camera around his neck, a map of the city, and a flip phone. But he secretly records trucks idling with a hidden iPhone, and once he’s done, he walks away happy, perhaps just earning his share of the fine.
Velde boasted: “Money is cool!” with Slapikas agreeing, joking that “They say the streets are paved with gold.”
In 2018, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection launched the Air Travel Citizens’ Complaint Program, which allows ordinary New Yorkers to file “civil complaints” about idle vehicles.
In 2018, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection launched the Air Travel Citizens’ Complaint Program, allowing ordinary New Yorkers to file “civil complaints” about idle vehicles.
Once the trucking company pays the subpoena, the complaining person gets 25 percent of the $350 fine, which is usually $85.
In 2021, the city paid out more than $724,000 in awards and a total of $1.1 million since 2019, while officials collected $2.4 million in fines last year, up 24 percent from when the program began in 2018, according to the New York Times.
Welde also highlighted the dangers involved. He said, “I go out thinking I will be attacked.
“Truck drivers stole my bags. I was physically abused. I had to call the police a couple of times.
Along with the risk of injury, there is also the frustration of the bureaucracy as Welde has yet to receive much of the six-figure sum he believes he owes for documenting last year’s wrongdoing.
Clean air campaigners say the system can also be quirky in approving violations.
Sometimes the claim is denied due to the fact that the logo of the company is not visible on the truck, despite the fact that it is registered.
And investigators will sometimes insist that the footage sent back doesn’t prove the truck was idling, even if its engine is rumbling when it’s parked.
According to DEP Deputy Commissioner Angela Licata, the delays may be due to the fact that this is a new system that is still under development, as well as the strict requirements for successfully adjudicating a complaint in court.
“We can also appreciate that these people put a lot of time and energy into this,” she said. “We don’t want them to be disappointed.”
The environmental attorney, who told the Times he’s doing it because he’s really passionate about improving air quality, admits profits are also a great motivator.
Entrants must submit a 3-minute time- and date-stamped video showing a running engine and company name on the door.
The environmental program is designed to reduce gasoline and diesel car emissions that cause health impacts, including asthma, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, the DEP said.
In New York City, it is illegal for a commercial vehicle to stand idle for more than three minutes, and it is also illegal for a commercial vehicle to stand idle for more than one minute near a school.
But while the program is designed to help the environment, only a small group of people participating in the program enjoy the benefits and say they are motivated by the easy money.
Participants are expected to submit a 3-minute video, time-stamped and date-stamped, showing a running engine and company name on the door to receive their share, DEP said.
According to DEP Deputy Commissioner Angela Licata (pictured), delays in payments may be due to the fact that this is a new system that is still being developed.
By all accounts, the program has been a huge success, from a few complaints to more than 12,000 last year since its launch, according to the New York Times.
In fact, only about 20 New Yorkers actively participate, filing almost 85 percent of complaints with the city, according to an analysis of program data from 2021.
Another activist, Eric Eisenberg. told the Times that last year an Amazon driver and two co-workers noticed him recording their truck idling, knocked him to the ground and restrained him, and one of the men told him, “Yes, that’s right, dad,” according to the lawsuit. . he filed in January.
But the concert is not as simple as it sounds: some citizens say they are being threatened and even attacked by angry truck drivers.
But the money is well earned. Once a complaint is filed, the reporter must track them through the system, and they are also responsible for requesting a reward months after the fine is paid, as the city does not automatically pay reporters, according to the Times.
The complex nature of the concert is the reason why only a few people participate in it.
Velde says his friends are interested but almost never follow through.
“Everyone I tell this to says, ‘This is cool, I want to do this,’ and no one does,” he said.
Slapikas said that when his friends find out what this entails, they don’t even think about it.
“They don’t have the motivation to do it on their own — it’s a full-time job,” he said.