Nothing changed. You just see it now.
quotingI cannot find a single un-polaraized opinionated article on this but you'll have to take my word that trump pardoned fellons convicted by the FBI and EPA of "violating the clean air act". Most were convicted under his previous administrations "Diesel Compliance Initiative" not long after making the EPA part of the DOJ giving them guns.
nevent1q…swzf
I can't speak for the people pardoned (nor can I really find any true information on these people) but the information you find will blanket label these people as criminals, charge them with a felony of 5 up to years in jail for having a chat at a diner about "taking that damn dpf off my work truck it cost too much" (im serious most of these guys including at least one that was pardoned was charged with CONSPIRACY to tamper with emissions equipment). The only people I know personally that served a prison sentence were charged of conspiracy.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardons-emissions-bypass-abramoff-partner-8e252cb7bc28288c1a3e4bb8d7bed72c
Like bitcoin/crypto and other administrative state markets the EPA does not release information including emissions targets that allow the aftermarket to comply. There is no regulation - you just can't modify your vehicle. They're supposed to allow you to submit a "reasonable basis" claim after being investigated but they aren't obligated to look at it, but you can try to fight it in court - except that the EPA has never lost a court case on consumer vehicle emissions.
There are plenty of guys who took this too far by deliberately removing emissions equipment despite knowing the would probably be prosecuted (you get a culpability line item btw), or turning up the smoke. Simply irresponsible, disrespectful sure. But guess what, there is no definition for a defeat device, there never has been and there never will be because it's the only magic wand the EPA has to put anyone they don't like in prison.
If you want to have an argument over greenhouse gases, carbon emissions etc. Give me numbers, give me quantities, give me something to work with. I'm not a regulate me harder daddy person, but you can have both. Don't leave it to the administrative state to decide what's a bad greenhouse gas and a good one. Because we still can't seem to decide (as a state) what a greenhouse gas actually is and which ones are "the problem" (greenhouse gas stuff was just changed again and trump is being blamed for it.