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WASHINGTON – The Environmental Safety Company right this moment proposed new guidelines that may hasten the transition away from super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to climate-friendlier alternate options in refrigeration, air conditioners, warmth pumps, insulation and aerosols.
“This welcome transfer by EPA will pace up the transition from highly effective climate-warming HFCs to subsequent era alternate options in dozens of merchandise that customers and companies purchase, from aerosol cans to air conditioners and warmth pumps,” stated Alex Hillbrand, a senior advocate within the Local weather & Clear Vitality and Worldwide packages at NRDC (Pure Assets Protection Council.) “It’s a win-win: climate-warming emissions will fall considerably, and customers will get higher, money-saving merchandise.”
The EPA’s motion builds on petitions filed final yr by NRDC and others calling for particular bans on merchandise utilizing HFCs. The petitions known as for the company to make use of authority Congress granted within the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, enacted in December 2020, to shift home equipment and different key merchandise away from HFCs. Pound for pound, HFCs heat the local weather tons of to 1000’s of instances greater than carbon dioxide.
The EPA proposal covers a variety of merchandise and processes the place climate-friendlier alternate options can be found. Below the brand new rule, merchandise shall be redesigned by 2025 or 2026 to make use of HFC-free alternate options or much less damaging HFCs.
These guidelines to maneuver merchandise away from HFCs will complement the section down of general HFC provide below the AIM Act. Right now’s transfer goes past what the regulation’s phasedown schedule requires, avoiding extra HFC emissions equal to 134-903 million tons of carbon dioxide and saving customers and trade an additional $5-8 billion by means of 2050.
Additional Background:
The AIM Act requires the EPA to section down HFC manufacturing and import 85 p.c over the subsequent 15 years and to ban HFC makes use of which have prepared alternate options. It additionally calls on EPA to concern rules on administration and dealing with of HFCs meant to restrict their emissions and promote their reclamation and reuse.
In April 2021, NRDC and different AIM Act allies filed petitions asking to transition main end-uses away from HFCs in a well timed method. EPA granted these petitions in October 2021. Right now’s proposed rule is the subsequent step in direction of last guidelines to transition dozens of merchandise away from HFCs.
The petitions coated a variety of finish makes use of together with cooling tools resembling business and residential refrigeration, automotive and constructing air-conditioning, warmth pumps, and different HFC makes use of resembling aerosols and insulation foams. Along with NRDC, NGO petitioners included the Environmental Investigation Company and the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Improvement. Further petitions have been filed by a state coalition led by California, in addition to trade commerce teams such because the Air-conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, and the Affiliation of Dwelling Equipment Producers (AHAM).
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NRDC (Pure Assets Protection Council) is a world nonprofit environmental group with greater than 3 million members and on-line activists. Since 1970, our legal professionals, scientists, and different environmental specialists have labored to guard the world’s pure sources, public well being, and the atmosphere. NRDC has workplaces in New York Metropolis, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Go to us at www.nrdc.org and observe us on Twitter @NRDC.
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