Agriculture is in distress across nearly every segment across much of the nation, and certainly to a more dire degree in the western United States. If it were not a historic drought, some pressures could be eased. Others can be eased through common sense and a rollback of regulations. And, perhaps, the passage of a Farm Bill, but I digress.

During the Biden administration, mandates to require new diesel engines to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions through Diesel Exhaust Fuel or “DEF” systems went into place. The problem with many of these DEF systems is periodic system failures that result in the engine going into “limp” mode. This essentially causes the vehicle to, without warning, be unable to travel more than 10 miles per hour or shut down entirely. This has been a significant and expensive problem for the trucking industry and agriculture.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a new rule proposing regulatory amendments to certain compliance provisions and test procedures related to model year 2027 and later heavy-duty highway engines. These amendments could ease some of the problems the DEF requirements created when the government showed up to help. If that’s not the theme of the federal government, I don’t know what is.

Cyrus Western, regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the recent proposed rule to eliminate DEF deratements entirely will translate to $12 billion saved by American truckers. I’m not sure how you put a price tag on missed deadlines, frustration, unpredictability and stress, but I assume that’s calculated into that number.

Rather than pickups, trucks and tractors lurching to a halt when DEF systems fail and flash a faulty code, under EPA’s proposal, operators would receive visible and/or audible alerts that allow them to continue operating until they can safely address the problem. The vehicle that suddenly loses speed as a result of one of these failures might be a diesel pickup hauling a trailer on a rural road at night with no cell service available. The vehicle that loses speed might be a commercial truck driver loaded with livestock that needs to reach a destination to unload. The vehicle that comes to a near-screeching halt might be an ambulance or fire truck or a school bus. None of these vehicles should be undependable at the whims of a system that has demonstrated random faulty code failures for years. It is more than simply an inconvenience. It’s unreasonable, unsafe, unpredictable, unaffordable and unnecessary.

If finalized, the savings could add up to $6,000 per vehicle on new truck purchases, on top of the increased productivity operators are currently losing while sitting on the shoulder of the road. Western said the stories of faulty DEF codes have reached beyond a simple inconvenience and it’s time to solve the problem to allow people to do the jobs that keep the U.S. trucking along.

Troy Lake, a 64-year-old diesel mechanic from Wyoming who spent seven months in federal prison for deleting emissions systems on engines plagued with system failures, has been one of the faces of the fight over DEF systems. Pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2025, Lake’s shop was raided in 2018. He told Cowboy State Daily in a 2025 interview a more logical solution is needed for expensive emissions repairs that won’t put people out of work. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Region 8 Administrator Western and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis all worked to secure a pardon for Lake. Can’t you just imagine the conversation between him and other federal inmates?

“Whatcha in for? Murder? Assault?” 

“Nope, felony DEF deletion.”

Western said the administration is crossing their Ts and dotting there Is to ensure the litigious rulemaking process is followed to make the litigation ping-pong match that will come at some point more of a challenge.

The Clean Air Act is certainly not the only federal act that has been weaponized, but, just like the Endangered Species Act and others, it’s being used to clobber Americans who earn their money with dirty hands and actual skills. Western calls it mission drift on the part of EPA, and it appears the ship is being righted barring any engine shutdowns that leave it adrift and barely idling. The comment period is currently open.

Rachel Gabel writes about agriculture and rural issues. She is assistant editor of The Fence Post Magazine, the region’s preeminent agriculture publication.