2000 Chevy A.I.R pump!?!

[Smallz72project]

Hey fellow GM fanatics. Have a question. My buddy has a 00 Chevy 1500 with 5.3 ltr. Check engine light keeps coming on and we have discovered that its due to a faulty A.I.R. pump (Air Intake Reactor)...all it does is pump air into the manifold to burn up the unburned fuel before the cat when cold. When the light comes on his gas mileage drops from about 18 to 15 or so...my question is..what can if anything be done to eliminate it. It seems kind of like a hokey pokey system meant strictly for emissions which here in Montana are not regulated. I have a 99 GMC thats highly modded but I dont have one yet I dont have a check engine light and aparently they put them on all 99-00 chevys with a 4.3, 5.3 and 6.0 ltrs. Any help or suggestion would be appreciated. Was hoping to just unplug it and remove the pump but when doing so it trips the light. Thanks in advance, keep on truckin