A bill in the Senate pushes back against government requirements related to diesel emissions.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., introduced the Diesel Truck Liberation Act in October. Among the bill’s provisions is one that prevents individuals from being prosecuted or sued under federal law for tampering with or improving emission equipment.
The bill is inspired by the story of Wyoming resident Troy Lake, who was sentenced to prison for removing emission controls from diesel engines.
“The Biden EPA threw Troy Lake and other mechanics in prison for keeping school buses, fire trucks and ambulances running in cold, harsh climates,” Lummis said in a news release. “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.”
S3007 would:
- Prohibit the federal government from requiring manufacturers to install or maintain emission control devices or onboard diagnostic systems
- Remove EPA authority to enforce Clean Air Act requirements related to vehicle emission controls
- Stop individuals from being prosecuted or sued under federal law for tampering with or improving emission equipment
- Vacate existing prison sentences for emission-related violations and expunge criminal and civil records related to these offenses
The complete bill text can be found here. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is co-sponsoring the bill.
Connor’s Law
The Diesel Truck Liberation Act isn’t the only trucking-related bill recently introduced by Lummis.
On Oct. 8, Lummis submitted a bill regarding English-proficiency standards for truck drivers. Connor’s Law, or S2991, would implement President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding English proficiency for CDL holders into law.
Trump’s executive order, which was issued on April 28, called the ability to speak and read English “a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.” The executive order added that commercial drivers “should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints and cargo weight-limit station officers.”
Lummis’ bill is the Senate version of “Connor’s Law,” which was introduced by Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, in May. Connor’s Law refers to Connor Dzion, who died at the age of 18 in a crash involving a tractor-trailer. A separate collision caused Dzion to be stuck in traffic for about an hour when a truck driver crashed into a line of stopped vehicles. The truck driver was said to be unable to read English and reportedly passed signs set up by Florida law enforcement warning of the crash ahead. LL
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