Trump Pardons Wyoming Diesel Mechanic in Diesel “Delete” Case

testerdahl

testerdahl

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President Donald Trump has granted a full and unconditional pardon to Wyoming diesel mechanic Troy Lake, who was convicted last year for tampering with vehicle emissions systems. Lake, 65, had served seven months of a one-year federal prison sentence for modifying and removing emissions controls on diesel engines — a practice outlawed under federal clean act air laws. He ran Elite Diesel Service near Cheyenne, was also fined $52,000. He was released to home confinement in September, wearing an ankle monitor. When news of his pardon came Friday, Lake said he was stunned and overcome with emotion. “I don’t guess […] (read full article...)
 
Given that our country is willing to put some old guy in prison instead of actual murderers, this story makes me shake my head in many ways. Maybe, just maybe, there are bigger fish to fry than some people keeping diesels running by removing equipment that actually made them less reliable. Take the most basic example of EGR and direct injection, the two do not play nicely.

I think rolling coal is ignorant/unnecessary, and I think it's advantageous to have vehicles be efficient for power and having a cleaner burn, I enjoy smelling clean air (catalytic converters are nice in heavy traffic), but this guy shouldn't have been in federal prison, it's ridiculous.

Meanwhile, actual murderers are let loose from prisons, murder again...and everyone seems shocked. The justice system needs a recalibration, focus on the truly bad people in society, not some trivial emissions violations. There's my two cents Tim, how do you feel about it?
 
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As I commented in the shorts, "Political posturing. Pure and simple."

*I want to clarify that I see both sides of the aisle doing this for political profit.
 
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The Car Guy said:
The justice system needs a recalibration, focus on the truly bad people in society, not some trivial emissions violations. There's my two cents Tim, how do you feel about it?
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My thing is this case took 6 years to go through the court system, so I'm not sure how efficient our legal system is and I think that's the real issue - the efficiency. It takes years to put someone in prison and the same to get them out. Definitely a concern and that's why murders are on the streets. It isn't because I believe our police force isn't doing their jobs, it is the efficiency of the process.

For this crime, it isn't a simple breaking and entering like crime no doubt. It is a Federal crime though. So, where do you draw the line?

I decided to ask AI for a list of all the silly Federal crimes. Here they are:

  • Impersonating a government official: It is a federal crime to impersonate a postal worker or other federal agent.
  • Damaging federal property: This includes damaging a U.S. mailbox, a federal building, or even marking, defacing, or destroying U.S. currency.
  • National park and wildlife regulations: Federal laws prohibit many specific actions in national parks and forests, such as:
    • Carrying a metal detector
    • Flying a drone
    • Having an empty tent on the first night of camping
    • Harassing golfers
    • Making "unreasonable" noises with a pet
  • Food and labeling violations: It can be a federal crime to mislabel food, such as printing the words "turkey ham" with different fonts for "turkey" and "ham".
  • Handling of resources:
    • It is a federal crime to handle a fish under suspicious circumstances, a law sometimes called the Salmon Act.
    • It is also a federal crime to let a pig enter a public area where it might destroy grass.
  • Other odd laws:
    • Mailing a threatening letter to a circus
    • Importing a pregnant polar bear
    • Using a falconry bird in a movie that is not about falconry
    • Writing a check for less than one dollar

I mean there are plenty of silly Federal crimes. However, what is silly to you might be serious to others.

You say it was a trivial emissions issue. What if it is isn't to someone else? For example, my son has asthma. If he spends time around deleted diesel trucks in a confined space like a garage, he will have trouble breathing which could lead to serious health problems. Now if we have a lot of deleted diesels roaming around the PM in the air goes back to where it was in the 1980s and 199s, (Google a 1990s major city where the demand for emissions equipment started) my son won't be able to go outside on certain days due to the air quality. He would be forced to chose areas to live based on the air quality. Might even have to carry an oxygen tank. Is that fair to him?

Personally, I'm very much split on this issue. On the one hand, Troy was trying to save small businesses which is something I'm very much for. On the other hand, I think of the well being of my son. These aren't black and white issues.

The facts are the 2027 regulations are mandating automakers make the diesel emissions equipment more difficult to delete. While Troy means well, personally, I see this topic becoming a non-topic in decades to come. Diesel engines will either survive because the emissions equipment is more reliable or they will go away completely because people will stop buying them because you won't be able to use them without emissions equipment.
 
This isn't about police officers not doing they're job Tim. This is about prosecutors not bringing charges and judges letting people off. Or, in the reverse, prosecutors bringing silly charges wasting our money and complicit judges.
 
Fightnfire said:
This isn't about police officers not doing their job Tim. This is about prosecutors not bringing charges and judges letting people off. Or, in the reverse, prosecutors bringing silly charges wasting our money and complicit judges.
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I thought that was the point I was making. Nothing to do with the police, the legal system is way too slow and inefficient.
 
testerdahl said:
I thought that was the point I was making. Nothing to do with the police, the legal system is way too slow and inefficient.
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You're right, I was trying to agree and reiterate and it came across as argumentative.

I was trying to reiterate that it's not about the police officers but I also don't think it's about the process being inefficient, which it very much is, but in these cases it's about prosecutors and judges.

Murderers in our cities get off because of on the books prosecutors and complicit judges. People like Troy and heavy d get fined ridiculously, or thrown in prison, for the same reason from the opposite side.

One side gets let go because it serves a political purpose, the other side gets the book thrown at them because it also serves a political purpose.
 
Tim, I’m not sure how police got dragged into this, they have nothing to do with it. My soon to be son in law is a cop, and I’m 100% supportive of law enforcement. They’re not the problem here, it’s the courts and judges.

I'm talking about judges and the most recent obvious stories where known criminals and murders get to walk free from jail, while old guys that deleted diesels go to federal prison. It's backwards.

Efficiency is one thing, but that isn't even the biggest issue, it's political motivation to let folks out that should not be let out. It feels like there’s selective enforcement and misplaced priorities, the system seems faster to release dangerous offenders than to show leniency in cases like this.

My son has asthma too but I never worry about deleted diesels even though we have some around here. I'll be sure not to trap him in a garage with one :). Sports were much harder on him than deleted cars.

It’s odd, plenty of performance shops help people run gas cars without cats, yet diesel deletes get all the attention. I don’t think either should land someone in federal prison, but the focus seems really one-sided.

Also from AI... "There are significantly more gas cars in the U.S. than diesel trucks, with approximately 265.7 million gasoline/flex vehicles in operation compared to around 9.9 million diesel models in late 2023". So I don't think some deleted diesels are going to send air quality back to the 1980s.

So again...why is everyone so obsessed with Diesels? It's like people that don't like guns, they go after AR-15s so they are the boogie man, one of the smallest subset of guns that kill people.

I don’t think deleting emissions should be a federal crime. State fines and civil penalties are enough. Federal prison for a small number of cases like this is just a waste of taxpayer money. The majority of diesels aren't deleted, the majority of gas vehicles aren't deleted...we don't need federal prison for the small numbers that do. Fines and civil penalties are enough.

Do you think he should have gone to jail for this? You say you are split...but I want to hear a yes or no on this question.

Also, do you care that there are plenty of gas vehicles without cats and essentially "deleted" systems. Are you worried about those?

Maybe you are and I just haven't seen those articles and videos...
 
The Car Guy said:
Tim, I’m not sure how police got dragged into this, they have nothing to do with it. My soon to be son in law is a cop, and I’m 100% supportive of law enforcement. They’re not the problem here, it’s the courts and judges.

Do you think he should have gone to jail for this? You say you are split...but I want to hear a yes or no on this question.

Also, do you care that there are plenty of gas vehicles without cats and essentially "deleted" systems. Are you worried about those?
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Yeah, I have no idea why police got dragged into this conversation either.

Why do you need to hear from me on whether or not he should have gone to jail? What does my view have to do with that? I don't know all the details on his particular case and, like the Heavy D case, a lot of things are sealed. I'm not going to play judge and jury based on the news reports.

I think diesels are getting the attention right now and it is just a news cycle thing. I happen to think back in the 1970s and 1980s catalytic convertors probably got a lot of the attention. Now the percentage of gas vehicles without cats is pretty small.

IMO - the amount of deleted diesels in the future will also be pretty small. I'm working on an interview for next week with a guy who is involved in the next generation of oils for the 2027 engine standards. Part of those engine standards direct automakers to make deleting diesels harder to do.

I know I was recently talking with a guy who had a new Cummins truck and he said everything in the ECU was locked down meaning his shop couldn't delete the truck. The hope, for him and others, was aftermarket would eventually "crack the code" and now automakers are being directed to make that even harder. Eventually, when is it going to be not worth the effort for aftermarket companies?

I've spoken with many diesel owners over the past several months on a series of stories I've produced. I get a range of feedback from all emissions equipment is garabage to I'm never deleting my diesel to it isn't worth time/money to delete a diesel. It seems, to me, times are changing.

When Troy Lake was deleting diesels, it was right around the time the first systems came out. I've spoken to numerous engineers from automakers and diesel mechanics. Everyone agrees those first systems were crap. Now? I don't hear the same agreement on new model trucks.
 
Why? Because you are the one writing the articles and doing the videos, you clearly have a vested interest in this. Also, because I'm personally just curious where you fall on the issue, and it probably tells me where you fall politically.

I still want to hear where you fall on the issue. You asking why I want to know doesn't change that :).

I think I have my answer though since you won't say "No, he shouldn't have gone to jail", I will use my spidey senses until I'm told otherwise.
 
testerdahl said:
When Troy Lake was deleting diesels, it was right around the time the first systems came out. I've spoken to numerous engineers from automakers and diesel mechanics. Everyone agrees those first systems were crap. Now? I don't hear the same agreement on new model trucks.
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You don't hear mechanics complaining about reliability with the new emissions equipment? That shocks me. I manage a fleet on the west coast, 50ish medium to heavy duty, 40 more pickups up to 350/3500. KW, Mack, International, Ford and GM.

We spends thousands and thousands of dollars a year fixing DEF sensors, EGR issues and the king of repairs... Particulate filters and sensors. Mechanics hate them, but they generate business and revenue so meh.

I read lots of articles about reducing cost and when you dig into the top problems associated with commercial fleets all of these issues I've listed have climbed into the top 10 most of them are in top five. They dominate where your money for maintenance goes towards a fleet.

The same goes for 3/4 ton and 1 ton pickups.
 
The Car Guy said:
Why? Because you are the one writing the articles and doing the videos, you clearly have a vested interest in this. Also, because I'm personally just curious where you fall on the issue, and it probably tells me where you fall politically.

I still want to hear where you fall on the issue. You asking why I want to know doesn't change that :).

I think I have my answer though since you won't say "No, he shouldn't have gone to jail", I will use my spidey senses until I'm told otherwise.
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It is news. That's why I have a vested interest. Just business.

I find it interesting as a journalist to the differences between this case, the Heavy D case and the Kory Willis case. It is just interesting to me to see how the courts handle the different cases as they were brought through different means - civil and criminal - as well as different district courts.

I was close to becoming a lawyer. In fact, many journalists go on to become lawyers since there are many similarities. But hey, you keep thinking I'm playing politics or have a personal vested investment. You do you.
 
Everyone plays politics to a certain extent, I do too. I'm not really ashamed or afraid to say what and why I think a certain way, I know it won't resonate with everyone. It's OK to have an opinion, to be democrat/Republican or somewhere in between.

I was just trying to get to know where you land.

Do you think given this specific case in Wyoming (not other cases) that he should have been in a federal prison for what he did?
 
The Car Guy said:
Everyone plays politics to a certain extent, I do too. I'm not really ashamed or afraid to say what and why I think a certain way, I know it won't resonate with everyone. It's OK to have an opinion, to be democrat/Republican or somewhere in between.

I was just trying to get to know where you land.

Do you think given this specific case in Wyoming (not other cases) that he should have been in a federal prison for what he did?
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I'd rather he didn't go to prison, but he did break Federal law and it was pretty clear.

"Tampering with emissions equipment can lead to serious criminal penalties under the Clean Air Act (CAA), including prison time of up to five years for violations like falsifying monitoring devices. It can also result in significant fines, sometimes reaching millions of dollars, particularly for companies or individuals found to be intentionally tampering with or installing defeat devices. "

Break the law, do the time. He got pretty fortunate he only did 7 months. It could have been a lot worse.

And it doesn't matter that this case was in Wyoming. This was in Federal court. The state doesn't matter.

For the record, I've voted for both parties over the past 30 years. I refuse to be labeled as a Republican or Democrat. That's just dumb.
 
I prefer the label "independent", but this country really only has 2 parties right now, both absolutely suck IMO.

I personally would prefer that states/counties have more control over how they behave as the country is just too big and different to have federal mandates for everything.

The next question would be, do you think these emissions standards should be federal mandates with prison time for folks that don't follow them? Or would you rather see states/counties have a little more say into how they are governed? I think it would be nice to have some nuance or leniency in some situations. It would also be nice to maybe just stick to fines and civil penalties.

Regarding the "Clean Air Act", How do you feel about AI?

The AI everyone is using (you and I included) will and is using more power than anyone wants to admit (nat. gas/coal etc.) but since we can't really smell it or see it when driving, no one seems to be stopping it on either side of the aisle.

I personally don't think CO2 is the ultimate boogie man like some do and I'm sure AI datacenters will try to use more nat gas/nuclear power for AI...but it's interesting to watch folks on the left turn a blind eye to the emissions from AI. It's one of the most hypocritical moves I've seen in some time.

I would venture to guess that most left leaning people would say "yeah this guy broke the law, put him in federal prison, we need clean air", for creating a tiny bit more emissions and keeping vehicles on the road. What he did pales in comparison to AI datacenters yet they are embraced on both sides of the aisle, follow the money.

Data Centers Run on Dirty Power. AI data centers operate 24/7 and can’t depend on intermittent sources like wind or solar. As a result, they draw from grids that are 48% dirtier than the U.S. average, often in coal heavy regions like Virginia and Pennsylvania.

About 60% of U.S. electricity still comes from fossil fuels, and even with nuclear commitments from Meta, Google, and Amazon, clean power won’t scale fast enough to offset rising demand.

With 1 billion messages per day, ChatGPT alone consumes over 109 gigawatt-hours annually, enough to power 10,400 U.S. homes for a year. Adding AI image generation adds another 35 GWh, or 3,300 more homes’ worth of annual power. These numbers don’t include video generation or other AI companies.

The next wave will be worse. AI is moving toward “agents” that run autonomously, reasoning models that use up to 43× more energy, and constant voice or video-based interactions.

This shift will multiply energy use dramatically, far beyond what current query-based models consume. OpenAI, DeepSeek, and others are already pushing toward this future building massive new data centers and exploring nuclear power partnerships.

Today’s AI emissions are just the beginning. We can’t simply extrapolate from today’s numbers, AI’s growth trajectory could make its energy demand one of the fastest rising contributors to global electricity use.

The environmental impact extends beyond the electricity used during operation. The manufacture of AI chips and infrastructure requires significant amounts of rare earth minerals, water for cooling, and energy intensive manufacturing processes, creating a large unaccounted for carbon footprint and e-waste problem.

Just trying to give my thoughts and maybe open up a new perspective for you. When I look at AI and what is going on throughout the world with it, projections look like it's going to destroy any emissions progress made in the past 20 years...unless they really fast track nuclear power.
 
The Car Guy said:
Just trying to give my thoughts and maybe open up a new perspective for you. When I look at AI and what is going on throughout the world with it, projections look like it's going to destroy any emissions progress made in the past 20 years...unless they really fast track nuclear power.
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Apparently, you have a lot of thoughts on this and AI. This was a news story. I’m working on another news story on emissions right now as a matter of fact. You seem to have a lot of interest in this story, so I did my job. I brought you a news story that was of interest to you and you are part of my audience. That's really how I see it.

For AI, I look at it only through the lens of my work as a journalist since that will impact my business. I have no vested interest in emissions so I don’t give it any second thought.
 
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