Wyoming state representatives are pushing for a presidential pardon of Troy Lake, owner of Elite Diesel, who was convicted of conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act. The federal government accused Lake of disabling emissions control system monitors on “hundreds” of heavy-duty trucks across the country, joining eight co-conspirators in seven different states who were previously sentenced. Lake pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in custody, and he currently must pay $52,500 in personal and business fines.
Chip Neiman, Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives, penned a letter to U.S. Pardon Attorney Edward J. Martin Jr. that he says was co-signed by more than 40 fellow House members. In it, he mentions a 2018 raid of Elite Diesel by the FBI, EPA, and local law enforcement, claiming that Lake was “unjustly prosecuted and convicted under the Clean Air Act by the Biden Administration.” Neiman also pointed to the EPA’s recent change in tune under Trump-appointed Administrator Lee Zeldin, who is currently working to undo greenhouse gas emissions regulations.
Lake’s plea agreement shows that his company instructed employees to tamper with emissions control systems on “at least” 344 heavy-duty commercial trucks. “I wasn’t trying to be, like, a Robin Hood or anything,” Lake told Cowboy State Daily. “I was just trying to help people—and the word got out all over the country that I could do it right. Because that’s a lot of it.”
https://www.facebook.com/ChipNeimanWY/posts/pfbid02WmU6dXCKBGSgRpuwSt6Tje6EJDDU9wFaLahzNp9bzXTkXTurhyaGDHPWs5Lnuukfl
Rep. Neiman’s letter defends Lake and his actions by saying that these systems “are widely documented to cause severe reliability issues, including engine failures, vehicle fires, reduced fuel efficiency, and exorbitant repair costs that fall hardest on truckers, small businesses, and public services.” It then points to Elite’s modification of school buses, saying that Lake and his employees helped to keep vehicles on the road “that transport Wyoming children each day, often in harsh conditions.”
Rep. Neiman and others who co-signed his letter believe that the federal government’s sentencing of Lake was not motivated by justice, but rather by politics. The letter claims a “weaponized regulatory state” targeted Lake and Elite Diesel, with the presiding judge saying she wanted to “make an example” of his case. Select members of the Wyoming state government are urging President Trump to grant a full pardon as a result.
Zooming out, Lake is one of many diesel tuners that have been handed big fines and even felonies for violating the Clean Air Act. We’ve covered this greater storyline for years at The Drive, and Lake’s penalties are just a fraction of what some shop owners have received. Many in the diesel truck industry celebrated President Trump’s return, expecting lighter regulations and possibly even dropped charges, though we’ve only seen the former so far.
I imagine this won’t be the last we hear of this.
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