A New NC Crime: Cooking Oil Theft?
A lawmaker in Raleigh has proposed a bill that would make it illegal to steal used cooking oil. No, he’s not worried about people clogging their arteries, he says he’s concerned that grease “pirates” are getting out of control.
Fryer oil, or used vegetable based cooking grease is used as an alternative fuel source. It can be made into biodiesel fuel when combined with alcohol or using a conversion kit. Really, nearly anyone can do it, and that concerns Republican John Torbett.
The proposed bill would make it a felony to steal spent cooking grease if valued at more than $1,000. Any amount less would be classified as a misdemeanor. Interestingly, however, stealing anything is already covered under the state theft laws, making this proposal a seeming waste of time and energy.
Speaking with The News & Observer, Torbett says the courts weren’t taking cooking oil theft seriously enough “because in their minds it was just stealing grease.” While he does have a point that the grease has a potentially huge value, I hardly think enacting a new law is the right answer. Wouldn’t educating the judiciary be easier and just as effective?
As gas prices in North Carolina hover around $4 per gallon, the demand for alternative fuels rise. There are several local companies who collect the grease and process it themselves or send it off to larger rendering companies. If Torbett has his way, these small local businesses will soon be struggling to compete. You see, his bill would also require all businesses involved in the collection and processing of this oil to be inspected and licensed with the state and to maintain at least $1 million in liability insurance coverage.
Needless to say, the local small business owners are not happy with the proposed legislation. “Trying to make a living in the green economy is kind of hard,” one business owner told the News & Observer. “Only the big boys can go long. And that’s going to be the death knell for America and small business.”
In his defense Torbett says he simply saw something that needed attention, he thought it needed to be “brought up.” It isn’t clear if he has considered an official memo or other educational means to let the judiciary know that cooking oil theft is still a serious theft, or if he would just like to see his name on a new law. But it seems this may go deeper than a simple theft crime.
More than likely, if you are accused of theft in North Carolina, you weren’t stealing cooking oil. Theft charges are quite common and come in a very wide variety of situations. If you’re charged with theft and in need of someone to represent your interests in court, contact my offices today for a free consultation on your case.
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