The next time you drive your certified Ford through Texas, look for the “environmental police” who watch your vehicle. This article talks about websites where you can report litterers and cars with sub-standard emissions. When you log on to these websites, prompts ask for the following :

License plate number
Make of vehicle
Time of day
Date
Location
What was tossed out the window
Who tossed the litter
Whether it was accidental or deliberate 

When officials at the Texas Department of Transportation receives the information, they compare it to the vehicle registration database in the state. If you report somebody, though, they can only check if it’s a Texas license plate. If there’s an exact match, they send the offender a litterbag with the words, “Don’t Mess with Texas” scrawled along the side. They also include a letter that reminds the  recipient to help keep the state beautiful by keeping litter off the roads.

You can also help the state by reporting vehicles that belch out dirty smoke for more than ten consecutive seconds. There’s a number to call that allows you to leave the necessary information within 30 days of witnessing the event.

Unfortunately, you won’t find those websites or phone numbers in this blog post. To me, this just seems like a slippery slope that is one step away from having the average citizen get people in trouble even if they didn’t do anything. And because this system is already in place, how long will it be before the police are able to issue these “offenders” tickets for their actions? I’m all about keeping the environment safe and pollution-free, but aren’t there more important things going on in this nation than a straw wrapper’s accidentally flying out the window?

If you live in Texas, you can click on the above link and get the information if you see a true offender.