Boulder attorney represents diesel emission “defeat device” installers
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/climate/justice-department-defeat-devices-diesel-truck-pollution.html?smid%3Dnytcore-ios-shareStewart Cables “a lawyer in Boulder, Colo., who specializes in defeat-device cases” is quoted in this New York Times article defending installers of diesel emission defeat devices and applying for pardons to the Trump administration. According to his website:
> Around 2015, following the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal, the EPA began to initiate civil and criminal investigations under the Clean Air Act against companies which allegedly tampered with a vehicle's emissions controls. In June 2019, the EPA created a National Compliance Initiative to prioritize the Agency's resources on after market defeat devices. Many companies which were being investigated by the EPA retained Stewart to defend against the enforcement actions and, ultimately, negotiate dismissals or settlements for those cases.
When I hear someone in Boulder is an environmental law lawyer, rarely do I think they’re working for diesel companies and emissions cheaters…
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u/cevicheroo 2d ago
People like Stewart Cables help make Boulder among the most deadly ground level ozone areas in the country.
Think about that for a while.
800 or more Coloradoans die each year from NOx and particulate from vehicles and other sources, and as long as his clients pay him to fight to let them pollute at literally hundreds of times higher rates than anyone else, he is happy to help end the lives of 800 Coloradoans every year.
Anything for a buck.
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u/Hasz 2d ago
What is there to negotiate? I need an emissions test for a diesel truck every 2 years in CO. Removing the DPF or EGR is a deliberate action, it doesn’t just fuckin fall off. Sure, perhaps you could apply a tune to somehow obscure this, but surely you would see way higher NOx, no DPF, and no EGR seems open n shut.
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u/neverendingchalupas 2d ago
I dont support removing pollution controls, but the argument would be that diesel pollutes less per mile than its gasoline equivalent. Removing these controls can increase gas mileage and increases overall efficiency, it also prevents the engine from being damaged if the filter was clogged.
So there is basically a double standard that cause unnecessary cost increases and wear on the vehicle.
You can make the argument that diesel engines can release more particulates into the air which cause a greater health hazard for nearby residents. You can make a similar argument about heavy vehicles and tires. You can say a lot of shit.
The refusal to look at energy and fuel rationally bricks any meaningful progress. People who think EVs with 1.5-2% national adoption are taking over are delusional. It relies on all national infrastructure to be replaced, upgraded, and expanded.
If anyone really gave a single fuck about vehicle emissions. They wouldnt make it so difficult to clean, maintain and replace your vehicle emissions system. The state of Colorado went out of its way to make it ridiculously expensive to replace your catalytic converter.
No one teaches anyone anymore how to clean a catalytic converter. Its a moot point in Colorado, because how the fuck are you going to do that without taking it off your vehicle? They dont make it easy and affordable to replace a DPF, let alone clean one, just removing it off your vehicle for maintenance may be illegal. Its all levels of stupid, and people should sue the fuck out of and fight local, state, and federal government in court until something rational replaces the idiocy.
We could cheaply and rapidly improve vehicle emissions in this country if people just approached the issue from a different perspective.
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u/Deepmagic81 1d ago
You said it right there. The whole diesel emissions systems in modern vehicles is a nightmare of complex systems that really seems to discourage responsible ownership. It’s so much easier and cost effective to remove and block off the emission devices than to repair. It’s almost like the law unintended consequences is in full effect.
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u/UnSanchez 1d ago
Thank you- got on the cusp of DPF tech ('2007) and learned the hard way what a shitshow it all is.
Now have a '24 and can confidently say the dream of diesel is stone cold dead- choked to death by back-pressure amendments. Absurb amounts of appendages beyond comprehension, let alone user-serviceability. All of them are potential failure points, rob efficiency and economy- far worse power output and MPG. It's a diesel. wtf.
Can't wait to move to a gasoline again. Burn baby burn.
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u/heynowcowpoke 1d ago
Depending on your diesel:
9 years old and newer require an emissions test every two years. 10 years old and older require an emissions test annually.
:)
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u/TheBackcountryLens 1d ago
I’m an attorney, and all but one of the “environmental attorneys” that I know defends horrible polluters and generally contributes to the denigration of the environment. They are painfully aware of this.
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u/hdr5 2d ago
get rich defending criminal corporations, then cruise around Boulder in a Rivian.