Convicted Diesel Tuners May Receive Reduced Penalties Under New Federal Committee Initiative

      PPEI

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      The House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is questioning the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice. A letter directed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi raises doubts regarding the enforcement powers of these agencies. It cites the use of “tyrannical consent decrees” against U.S. companies, including Louisiana-based diesel truck tuner PPEI. Committee members assert that these measures appear politically motivated to “retaliate against businesses and individuals who have spoken out against the Biden Administration.”

      PPEI is among the most notable cases in a series of federal enforcement actions targeting the automotive aftermarket sector. The company has paid $3.1 million in civil penalties and criminal fines for breaching the Clean Air Act, and both PPEI and its owner Kory Willis must secure California Air Resources Board approval for each product, despite the business not operating or selling in California. The committee views this as a significant issue.

      “In some cases, these federal consent decrees were founded on state laws instead of federal statutes and regulations,” the letter indicates. “Failure to meet these demands, which are often prohibitively expensive for small businesses, essentially guarantees that the DOJ and EPA will drive the business to closure, potentially resulting in countless Americans losing their jobs.”

      The California Air Resources Board is known for its stringent emissions regulations, and the Clean Air Act permits California to establish its own standards independently of federal mandates.

      The committee’s letter also references cases unrelated to diesel tuning; however, it explicitly mentions PPEI’s consent decree in the footnotes. Other automotive aftermarket companies that have been convicted have also agreed to consent decrees that encompass CARB requirements.

      PPEI faced penalties for offering hardware and software that enabled diesel trucks to run without their emissions equipment. Court documents quote owner Willis stating that the shop tuned over 500 vehicles weekly, amassing more than 100,000 customers and generating “well over” $1 million in sales monthly. In December 2024, about two and a half years after signing the consent decree in March 2022, Willis was sentenced to a three-year probation period, which included 10 months of home detention, while PPEI entered a five-year probation period.

      PPEI Custom Tuning owner Kory Willis. Via YouTube

      The Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, chaired by Louisiana Representative Clay Higgins, has requested that the DOJ and EPA provide a staff-level briefing by April 25 to assist with their investigation and oversight. The letter requests briefers to outline measures taken to ensure that consent decrees are not “overly restrictive” and do not impose “costly requirements that negatively impact American business and citizens.” Additionally, the committee seeks assurance that "the weaponization of excessively burdensome regulatory enforcement" is not being applied in environmental cases.

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