{"id":860,"date":"2026-07-06T14:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T09:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=860"},"modified":"2026-07-06T14:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T09:53:35","slug":"trump-pardons-9-convicted-of-clean-air-act-diesel-tune-violations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=860","title":{"rendered":"Trump pardons 9 convicted of Clean Air Act diesel tune violations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">President <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920069\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> pardoned nine people convicted of violating the Clean Air Act by tampering with diesel vehicle emissions-control systems.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">On Friday, Trump <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920070\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116857677816767526\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">announced<\/a> six of the pardons on Truth Social, arguing that the men he granted clemency to were &#8220;persecuted by the Biden Administration&#8221; and punished for &#8220;fixing their car.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Eight of the people Trump pardoned were diesel mechanics or car tuners who were prosecuted for selling and installing so-called &#8220;defeat devices&#8221; into trucks, according to a Fox News review of federal court records.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">These devices reprogram trucks to bypass federally required emissions controls and suppress diagnostic warnings. Without them, many diesel trucks can enter a &#8220;limp&#8221; mode that limits speed \u2014 sometimes to as little as 5 mph \u2014 until the emissions system is restored.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/trump-july-3.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"trump-july-3 - 1\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on July 3, 2026, in Keystone, S.D.<\/span> <span>(Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920071\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/former-indiana-rep-stephen-buyer-receives-full-pardon-trump-2023-insider-trading-conviction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>FORMER INDIANA REP STEPHEN BUYER RECEIVES FULL PARDON FROM TRUMP FOR 2023 INSIDER TRADING CONVICTION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Trucks can also enter this limp mode when emissions controls fail. These failures are common and have been causing massive headaches for truckers and farmers for years, according to the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920072\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/icymi-epas-new-guidance-removes-requirement-diesel-exhaust-fluid-def-sensors-saves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Environmental Protection Agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">People are more than willing to pay top dollar for mechanics who can do the job of disabling the emissions-limiting systems.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Matthew Geouge, one of the pardon recipients, ran two companies that sold illegal tuning devices. Just from the sale of those devices alone, his firms grossed more than $10 million, according to his December 2021 plea agreement.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920073\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/science\/planet-earth\/pollution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Emissions-capping technology<\/a>, specifically Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) systems, is also prone to malfunctions in extremely cold weather.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/diesel-truck.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"diesel-truck - 1\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>A tractor-trailer refuels with diesel fuel at a Kwik Star gas station in Mitchellville, Iowa, April 30, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Bryon Houlgrave\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920074\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-welcome-farmers-ranchers-white-house-dinner-celebrate-trade-tax-wins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TRUMP WILL WELCOME FARMERS AND RANCHERS TO WHITE HOUSE DINNER TO CELEBRATE TRADE, TAX WINS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Brad Bylsma, a state equipment fleet manager for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&amp;PF), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zMHM57VBnAI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">said<\/a> in March that DEF systems account for a &#8220;significant portion of our maintenance issues and costs&#8221; with state-owned diesel vehicles.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Frederic Sifuentes, the president of Alaska-based transportation service, put it more bluntly.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The percentage of breakdowns we have here in Alaska with the DEF systems is roughly 85% of the time,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Another pardon recipient, MacKenzie &#8220;Mac&#8221; Spurlock, was a mechanic in Alaska who modified emissions controls on vehicles for exactly this reason, according to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Four years ago, about 30 armed EPA agents conducted a military-style tactical raid of Matanuska Diesel, owned by Mac Spurlock \u2014 a devoted husband and father, small business owner and veteran of the Alaska Air National Guard,&#8221;\u00a0Sullivan said in a statement celebrating Spurlock&#8217;s <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920076\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sullivan.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/spurlockpardon-070326.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pardon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/dan-sullivan.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"dan-sullivan - 1\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska., speaks during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 30, 2026, in Washington, D.C.<\/span> <span>(Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;His shop had assisted trucking businesses by modifying several diesel emissions-control systems mandated by a one-size-fits-all Obama-era emissions regulation, ensuring the vehicles wouldn\u2019t shut down in Alaska\u2019s harsh, subzero conditions,&#8221; Sullivan added.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The other men who received pardons for similar conduct included Ryan and Wade Lalone, Tim Clancy, Joshua Davis, Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf and Jonathan Achtemeier, a White House official confirmed to Fox News.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In late January 2026, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6920078\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/executive-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Trump administration announced<\/a> it would no longer pursue criminal charges for manufacturers, distributors and users of defeat devices. Civil penalties could still apply.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>James Cirrone is a writer on the Breaking\/Trending News team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to james.cirrone@fox.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! President Donald Trump pardoned nine people convicted of violating the Clean Air Act by tampering with diesel vehicle emissions-control systems. On Friday, Trump announced six of the pardons on Truth Social, arguing that the men he granted clemency to were &#8220;persecuted by the Biden Administration&#8221; and punished&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/trump-july-3.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}