By Shawn Henry 
President Donald Trump has issued a full pardon to Troy Lake, a Wyoming diesel mechanic who was convicted of violating federal emissions laws after modifying pollution-control equipment on diesel engines. Lake, 65, spent seven months in federal prison before being moved to home confinement earlier this year.
Lake, who operated Elite Diesel Service near Cheyenne, had pleaded guilty to charges related to removing or altering emissions systems—commonly known as “deletes”—on diesel-powered vehicles. According to federal prosecutors, Lake’s modifications allowed trucks to run without federally required pollution-control components. He was sentenced to a year in prison and fined $52,000.
The case drew national attention after Wyoming lawmakers argued that Lake had been unfairly targeted. U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., publicly criticized the prosecution and personally petitioned Trump for a pardon. In a statement, Lummis said Lake’s case was an example of federal overreach, calling the Biden administration’s handling of environmental enforcement “weaponized.”
Lake and his wife, Holly, described the pardon as an emotional end to a six-year ordeal that began when EPA agents raided their shop in 2018. Charges were not filed until 2022, and the couple said the lengthy investigation upended their lives and livelihood.
Lake said he broke down after receiving the news. His wife described pulling over on I-25 and crying as she learned of the pardon. “These are the first tears I’ve shed since it started,” she said.
The case has also inspired new legislation. Lummis recently introduced the Diesel Truck Liberation Act, a bill that would sharply limit federal authority over vehicle emissions enforcement. Among the provisions: eliminating EPA authority to prosecute individuals for tampering with emission systems, vacating existing sentences, and expunging records for people convicted under federal emissions-tampering laws.
Supporters say the bill is necessary to protect small diesel shops and operators, particularly in rural regions where emissions-related failures can sideline essential vehicles such as school buses, fire trucks, and farm equipment. Critics argue it would dismantle key components of the Clean Air Act.
Lake says he now hopes to use his experience to push for reform, calling for a balance between environmental goals and the realities faced by small mechanics and diesel operators.
“I hope we can find a more logical way to do this,” Lake said. “Something that doesn’t put people out of work.”
The pardon brings formal closure to a case that became a rallying point in Wyoming and a symbol in broader debates over federal regulatory power, environmental enforcement, and the future of diesel technology.
Image Via Troy Lake/iPetition
Eve