I was being sarcastic and there's a good chance that a well tuned engine will run cleaner without some emission's devices. But it's federal law that you cannot remove emission's devices whether they work properly or not. In states like NJ you need to pass emission's and pass a visual inspection to make sure your vehicle has not been altered. My 96 SS Camaro has headers but I retain the EGR, dual cats and AIR setup. My 69 Camaro requires an older style AIR setup but no EGR. If your vehicle originally came equipped with EGR and AIR then you must retain it and it should be functional. Even if your state doesn't test it, it's illegal to alter it. In some states, they will take your vehicle off the road if they find it has been altered. Plus, a properly maintained emission's engine will run better with everything working. People remove stuff because they think it's cheaper than fixing the right way. When the rest of the states eventually adopt the tougher emission's there will be a lot of people with altered vehicles that won't pass and won't be allowed on the road. It's only a matter of time.

And from what I see on the VA EPA page, EGR is required if it was originally installed by the manufacturer. If your local inspection facility didn't notice it, they could get in trouble just like you can for not having it.