President Donald Trump signed pardons on Friday for six people convicted of Clean Air Act violations, marking an expansion of his clemency for those prosecuted under emissions tampering laws after the Justice Department halted criminal enforcement of such cases earlier this year.
Trump announced the pardons on Truth Social, saying he was “SETTING THEM ALL FREE” because those convicted had been “persecuted by the Biden Administration” for “fixing their car.” He did not identify the six individuals or specify the details of their convictions.
The White House said Trump met with senior officials earlier Friday to discuss the slate of pardons, which relate to people convicted of violating the Clean Air Act—a federal law aimed at reducing emissions and improving air quality.
The move follows a dramatic shift in federal enforcement policy. In January 2026, the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop all pending criminal investigations and cases related to “defeat devices”—software or hardware used to bypass emissions controls on vehicles. Although the Trump administration said it may still pursue civil penalties, the criminal enforcement halt opened the door for those already convicted to seek relief.
At least a dozen defendants who had pleaded guilty to Clean Air Act tampering charges were actively seeking Trump pardons after the DOJ reversal, according to InsideEPA reporting in June 2026.
The pardons build on Trump’s earlier clemency for Troy Lake, a 65-year-old Wyoming diesel mechanic who received a full pardon in November 2025. Lake had served seven months of a one-year federal prison sentence for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act by disabling pollution control monitors on hundreds of diesel trucks at his business, Elite Diesel Service. His case became a focal point for those opposing criminal enforcement of emissions tampering laws, with supporters arguing that mechanics were being unfairly prosecuted for helping truck owners reduce repair costs.
Under the Clean Air Act, tampering with or disabling a vehicle’s emissions control system is prohibited and can result in both civil and criminal penalties. Before the Trump administration’s January 2026 policy shift, the EPA had ramped up enforcement of such violations, finalizing 172 civil enforcement cases between fiscal years 2020 and 2023 that resulted in civil penalties totaling $55.5 million.
Sources
- CNN — Trump’s announcement of six pardons for Clean Air Act violations on July 3, 2026, and details of the White House meeting with senior officials
- CBS News — Trump’s statement characterizing the prosecutions as “weaponization and stupidity” and confirmation that the pardons relate to emissions tampering convictions
- E&E News by POLITICO — DOJ policy ending criminal prosecutions of vehicle emissions defeat devices in January 2026
- InsideEPA.com — Report that at least a dozen defendants were seeking Trump pardons after the DOJ reversal, dated June 16, 2026
- Land Line Media — Troy Lake’s background: 65 years old, seven months served in federal prison for Clean Air Act conspiracy
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — EPA enforcement statistics: 172 civil cases finalized FY 2020–2023 with $55.5 million in penalties
