American farmers and heavy equipment owners just got a major green light to fix their own machinery without looking over their shoulders.
On January 30, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a formal clarification that effectively dismantles a long-standing roadblock used by manufacturers to keep repair tools and software under lock and key.
For years, many equipment companies argued that the Clean Air Act’s anti-tampering rules meant only authorized dealers could touch high-tech emission systems. The EPA’s new guidance flatly rejects that, stating that the law actually supports the right of owners to perform their own maintenance…