On July 3, 2026, President Donald Trump pardoned Mackenzie “Mac” Spurlock of Wasilla, Alaska, who had been convicted of a felony charge after modifying diesel vehicles in order to keep them operational in Alaska’s freezing temperatures.
According to a letter written by Senator Dan Sullivan to President Trump, asking Trump to pardon Spurlock, dozens of armed EPA agents stormed Spurlock’s home and small business in Wasilla and charged him with criminal tampering. He was convicted after evidence showed he removed required air-pollution controls on vehicles with diesel engines. However, Sen. Sulivan argues, “In cold states like Alaska, where diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) freezes at just 12 degrees Fahrenheit and federally mandated one-size-fits-all on-board emissions systems fail, these modifications become a matter of safety and survival.”
Under current EPA regulations, diesel trucks and heavy equipment are required to use emissions systems that can trigger engine shutdowns if the system detects a fault. In cold weather, these emissions components—including but not limited to diesel exhaust fluid (DEF)—often struggle to reach or maintain proper operating temperatures, causing the system to register faults even when the engine itself is running normally. These systems have created life-threatening situations for truckers, including one trucker whose vehicle shut down in a blizzard on the Dalton Highway, a 400-mile stretch of road leading to Prudhoe Bay with only one gas station.
Under the Biden administration, tampering with emission controls was considered a felony, but the Trump administration announced in January 2026 that the Department of Justice would “no longer pursue criminal charges under the Clean Air Act for tampering with onboard diagnostic systems in motor vehicles.” Spurlock’s conviction was a direct result of a now reversed policy.
According to Senator Sullivan, “My constituents should not be branded criminals for prioritizing safety and reliability in conditions that federal regulators did not adequately consider.” Without a pardon, Spurlock would spend the rest of his life “stripped of his right to vote, barred from hunting in Alaska, and blocked from re-enlisting in the Alaska Air National Guard at a time when the Guard has asked for skilled mechanics like him.”
Following the President’s pardoning of Spurlock, Senator Sullivan commented: “While my focus is on fixing this issue once and for all, I’m not forgetting the patriots like Mac, who were unjustly caught up in this madness and who have literally had their freedoms taken away. Mac just wanted to help business owners keep Alaskans safe on the highways in the winter. Instead, Mac became a felon, was hit with a $32,000 fine, was restricted from traveling, and couldn’t own a gun or even reenlist in the Alaska Air National Guard, something he had planned to do. This morning, on the eve of the Fourth of July, President Trump called me to let me know he had issued a full and unconditional pardon, granting Mac his freedom back and righting a grave injustice.”
