The Iowa House has passed a bill with new state restrictions on farm implement companies, so the owners of tractors and combines could repair the diesel exhaust fluid systems on the equipment themselves.
Republican Representative Derek Wulf of Hudson, who’s a farmer, goes even farther, suggesting it could be interpreted to mean the systems could be permanently disabled. “This bill is simple,” Wulf said. “It gives farmers and ranchers the ability to repair and alter their equipment that they own as they see fit and remove the diesel control systems if they so choose.”
The Trump Administration recently announced that under its interpretation of the Clean Air Act, the exhaust systems on diesel powered farm equipment may be disabled for repairs and manufacturers cannot justify limiting access to tools or software. The bill that cleared the Iowa House last night would require manufacturers to provide free information and software to diagnose and fix diesel exhaust systems. And they’d have to sell both the tools and replacement parts to make the repairs at reduced prices.
“Previous adminsitrations have forced costly and burdensome emissions systems and regulations onto farmers and ranchers through the EPA. Every day this country faces 63 more farmers going out of business,” Wulf said. “Folks, we have to do everything we can to help reduce additional costs to farmers who have to pay the penalty with their livelihoods because of environmentalists’ interests.”
The bill passed with the support of 55 Republicans and two Democrats. Opposition came from ten Republicans and 23 Democrats. Representative Kenan Judge, a Democrat from Waukee, said he’s “all for saving farmers’ money,” but permanently disabling the diesel exhaust system is risky. “If you have your tractor under warranty and you go to take this system off, all of a sudden now if you take your tractor back into the dealership and this modification has hurt the engine, you lose your warranty,” Judge said.
President Trump’s EPA administrator recently said the Clean Air Act prohibits the removal or disabling of emission control systems, but the law has an exception that lets the systems be disabled to make a repair.
