Congress moves to strip EPA power to enforce vehicle emissions rules
H.R. 8079 — Diesel Truck Liberation Act of 2026 · Filed by Mike Collins (R-GA) · 8 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 25, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill prohibits the EPA and all federal agencies from requiring manufacturers to install or maintain emissions control devices on motor vehicles, voids all existing emissions-control regulations, shields manufacturers and vehicle owners from liability for selling or using vehicles without these devices, and expunges records of past criminal convictions and civil penalties for emissions violations.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a blanket prohibition on EPA enforcement of emissions-control mandates under the Clean Air Act, coupled with liability shields for non-compliance. This is functional deregulation of vehicle emissions, not a narrow technical fix.
What the text implies
- Expungement of past criminal convictions for emissions violations (section e) may allow individuals previously convicted of 'rolling coal' or defeat-device installation to clear their records, reducing deterrent effect of prior enforcement.
- Prohibition on 'onboard diagnostic systems' (OBD) removes real-time emissions monitoring, eliminating a key tool for detecting non-compliance and vehicle tampering after sale.
- Blanket liability shield (section c) covers not only manufacturers but also purchasers and modifiers, potentially legalizing aftermarket defeat devices and 'rolling coal' modifications currently prosecuted under Clean Air Act.
- Repeal of 'any regulation' related to emissions devices (section d) may void EPA certification standards, inspection protocols, and recall authority, not just installation mandates.
- The phrase 'for other purposes' in the bill's enacting clause is standard boilerplate, but the operative text is narrowly focused on emissions control — no hidden riders detected.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens lose federal air-quality protections that reduce respiratory disease, premature mortality, and environmental contamination. Manufacturers and vehicle owners gain the ability to avoid pollution-control costs, but those costs are externalized as public health harm. The bill shields violators from past liability, rewarding non-compliance.
Who stands to gain
- diesel engine manufacturers
- heavy-duty truck manufacturers
- aftermarket emissions-defeat device suppliers
- vehicle owners seeking to avoid emissions-control costs
Named in the bill
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Clean Air Act (Title II), motor vehicle manufacturers, motor vehicle importers and distributors, onboard diagnostic systems (OBD)
Where it stands
8 cosponsors: 8 Republicans.
- Mar 25, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Mar 25, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
4 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $4,601,908 in lobbying spend. A filing names 50 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.
Mike Collins, the sponsor, reported $554,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $2,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.
- Fedex Corporation — $2,930,000 on 1 filing
- American Trucking Associations — $720,000 on 1 filing
- Cummins Inc — $521,908 on 1 filing
- Volvo Group North America LLC — $430,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,834 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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