Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) has introduced legislation that would effectively undo decades of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules for diesel engines and ban emissions control devices and onboard diagnostic systems.
The "Diesel Truck Liberation Act" was inspired by the story of Wyoming diesel mechanic Troy Lake, who was sentenced to prison for “deleting” emissions systems. Lummis has reportedly sent a letter to President Trump requesting a pardon for Lake. According to Cowboy State Daily, Lake was sentenced to a year in prison in December 2024 for Clean Air Act violations, but he has since been released to serve home confinement.
“The Biden EPA threw Troy Lake and other mechanics in prison for keeping school buses, fire trucks, and ambulances running in cold, harsh climates,” says Lummis. “When Washington bureaucrats can make you a criminal without Congress ever voting on it, we have a huge problem. I want this overreach to end. Democrats weaponized the EPA to wage war on rural America, and we cannot let that happen again. This legislation is the first step toward justice and sanity.”
Key specific provisions of the bill include:
- Prohibits the federal government from requiring manufacturers to install or maintain emissions control devices or onboard diagnostic systems
- Removes EPA authority to enforce Clean Air Act requirements related to vehicle emissions controls and repeals existing regulations related to the installation, modification, or removal of emissions control devices or onboard diagnostic systems
- Individuals and companies cannot be prosecuted or sued under federal law for tampering or improving emissions equipment
- Vacates existing prison sentences for emissions-related violations and expunges criminal and civil records related to these offenses
Following its introduction in the Senate, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
