RECOMMENDED...
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ordered strict new limits on the use of hydrofluorocarbons, which heat the planet far faster than carbon dioxide and are used in refrigerators and air conditioners. (Photo: PeopleImages/Getty Images)
In 'Landmark' Decision, EPA Finalizes Rule Cutting Use of Super-Pollutant HFCs
The regulation will drastically curb the use of "the most potent super-pollutants known to mankind at the moment," one climate campaigner said.
Sep 23, 2021
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized a rule long pushed for by climate campaigners that slashes the use of chemicals identified as "super-pollutants" that are commonly used in air conditioners and refrigerators.
"I applaud President Biden's actions to cut down these super-pollutants while strengthening our ability to compete in a global clean energy market."
--Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
The Biden administration announced a new rule requiring the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) be cut by 85% over the next 15 years, implementing a measure in the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, which was passed by Congress last year.
"Today EPA is taking a significant step forward to advance President Biden's bold agenda to tackle the climate crisis," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Cutting these climate 'super pollutants' protects our environment, strengthens our economy, and demonstrates that America is back when it comes to leading the world in addressing climate change and curbing global warming in the years ahead."
The rule was applauded by lawmakers, advocates, and climate scientists who noted the far-reaching effects that a reduction in HFCs will have on the health of the planet.
Gretchen Goldman of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, who was formerly a research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called the rule "an important step to tackle climate emissions."
HFCs, which frequently leak from appliances, heat the atmosphere at a rate hundreds of thousands of times faster than carbon dioxide and are used widely in grocery stores across the country. Undercover investigators with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found earlier this year that HFC leaks existed in the freezers and refrigerators of 55% of supermarkets it surveyed in the Washington, D.C. area.
Avipsa Mahapatra, a climate campaign leader at the EIA, called the administration's decision "a landmark EPA rulemaking" which would help drastically curb the use of "the most potent super-pollutants known to mankind at the moment."
The reduction in HFCs resulting from the rule is expected to be the equivalent of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide and will generate about $272 billion in cost savings and public health benefits over the next three decades, according to the White House. The regulation is also expected to promote job creation as companies manufacture alternative cooling mechanisms.
Next month, the EPA is also expected to respond to 13 petitions filed under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, by groups that want to limit the use of HFCs in dehumidifiers and other appliances.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a co-author of the Green New Deal legislation, applauded the EPA's new rule and expressed hope that the Biden administration and Congress will "continue to push for the ambitious solutions we need to combat the climate crisis by passing the budget reconciliation bill."
"HFCs are superheating our planet, exacerbating extreme weather events, and threatening the physical and economic health of our communities," said Markey. "I applaud President Biden's actions to cut down these super-pollutants while strengthening our ability to compete in a global clean energy market."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized a rule long pushed for by climate campaigners that slashes the use of chemicals identified as "super-pollutants" that are commonly used in air conditioners and refrigerators.
"I applaud President Biden's actions to cut down these super-pollutants while strengthening our ability to compete in a global clean energy market."
--Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
The Biden administration announced a new rule requiring the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) be cut by 85% over the next 15 years, implementing a measure in the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, which was passed by Congress last year.
"Today EPA is taking a significant step forward to advance President Biden's bold agenda to tackle the climate crisis," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Cutting these climate 'super pollutants' protects our environment, strengthens our economy, and demonstrates that America is back when it comes to leading the world in addressing climate change and curbing global warming in the years ahead."
The rule was applauded by lawmakers, advocates, and climate scientists who noted the far-reaching effects that a reduction in HFCs will have on the health of the planet.
Gretchen Goldman of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, who was formerly a research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called the rule "an important step to tackle climate emissions."
HFCs, which frequently leak from appliances, heat the atmosphere at a rate hundreds of thousands of times faster than carbon dioxide and are used widely in grocery stores across the country. Undercover investigators with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found earlier this year that HFC leaks existed in the freezers and refrigerators of 55% of supermarkets it surveyed in the Washington, D.C. area.
Avipsa Mahapatra, a climate campaign leader at the EIA, called the administration's decision "a landmark EPA rulemaking" which would help drastically curb the use of "the most potent super-pollutants known to mankind at the moment."
The reduction in HFCs resulting from the rule is expected to be the equivalent of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide and will generate about $272 billion in cost savings and public health benefits over the next three decades, according to the White House. The regulation is also expected to promote job creation as companies manufacture alternative cooling mechanisms.
Next month, the EPA is also expected to respond to 13 petitions filed under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, by groups that want to limit the use of HFCs in dehumidifiers and other appliances.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a co-author of the Green New Deal legislation, applauded the EPA's new rule and expressed hope that the Biden administration and Congress will "continue to push for the ambitious solutions we need to combat the climate crisis by passing the budget reconciliation bill."
"HFCs are superheating our planet, exacerbating extreme weather events, and threatening the physical and economic health of our communities," said Markey. "I applaud President Biden's actions to cut down these super-pollutants while strengthening our ability to compete in a global clean energy market."
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized a rule long pushed for by climate campaigners that slashes the use of chemicals identified as "super-pollutants" that are commonly used in air conditioners and refrigerators.
"I applaud President Biden's actions to cut down these super-pollutants while strengthening our ability to compete in a global clean energy market."
--Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
The Biden administration announced a new rule requiring the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) be cut by 85% over the next 15 years, implementing a measure in the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, which was passed by Congress last year.
"Today EPA is taking a significant step forward to advance President Biden's bold agenda to tackle the climate crisis," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Cutting these climate 'super pollutants' protects our environment, strengthens our economy, and demonstrates that America is back when it comes to leading the world in addressing climate change and curbing global warming in the years ahead."
The rule was applauded by lawmakers, advocates, and climate scientists who noted the far-reaching effects that a reduction in HFCs will have on the health of the planet.
Gretchen Goldman of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, who was formerly a research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called the rule "an important step to tackle climate emissions."
HFCs, which frequently leak from appliances, heat the atmosphere at a rate hundreds of thousands of times faster than carbon dioxide and are used widely in grocery stores across the country. Undercover investigators with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found earlier this year that HFC leaks existed in the freezers and refrigerators of 55% of supermarkets it surveyed in the Washington, D.C. area.
Avipsa Mahapatra, a climate campaign leader at the EIA, called the administration's decision "a landmark EPA rulemaking" which would help drastically curb the use of "the most potent super-pollutants known to mankind at the moment."
The reduction in HFCs resulting from the rule is expected to be the equivalent of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide and will generate about $272 billion in cost savings and public health benefits over the next three decades, according to the White House. The regulation is also expected to promote job creation as companies manufacture alternative cooling mechanisms.
Next month, the EPA is also expected to respond to 13 petitions filed under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, by groups that want to limit the use of HFCs in dehumidifiers and other appliances.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a co-author of the Green New Deal legislation, applauded the EPA's new rule and expressed hope that the Biden administration and Congress will "continue to push for the ambitious solutions we need to combat the climate crisis by passing the budget reconciliation bill."
"HFCs are superheating our planet, exacerbating extreme weather events, and threatening the physical and economic health of our communities," said Markey. "I applaud President Biden's actions to cut down these super-pollutants while strengthening our ability to compete in a global clean energy market."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.