(AGENPARL) – ven 06 ottobre 2023 Issued: Oct 6, 2023 (3:07pm EDT)
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Biden-Harris Administration Advances Latest Actions to Address
Climate-Damaging HFC Emissions and Boost American Leadership on Safer, More
Efficient Technologies
One year after President Biden’s historic signing of the Kigali Amendment,
EPA continues progress on phasedown of super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons
WASHINGTON (October 6, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) announced the latest actions to phase down climate-damaging
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the bipartisan American Innovation and
Manufacturing (AIM) Act, building on the Biden-Harris Administration’s
progress in accomplishing an initial 10% reduction and helping achieve an 85%
reduction by 2036. The first new action is a final rule to accelerate the
ongoing transition to more efficient and climate-safe technologies in new
refrigeration, heating and cooling systems and other products by restricting
the use of HFCs where alternatives are already available. The second action is
a proposed rule to better manage and reuse existing HFCs, including by
reducing wasteful leaks from equipment and supporting a growing American
industry for HFC recycling and reclamation. These actions come one year after
President Biden signed the U.S. ratification of the Kigali Amendment, an
international agreement to phase down super-polluting HFCs and help avoid up
to 0.5 °C of global warming by 2100.
Under the AIM Act, the Biden-Harris Administration is phasing down HFCs to
achieve a 40% reduction of HFCs starting in 2024 and an 85% reduction by 2036.
Today’s actions will support the national phasedown, including through an
additional $4.5 billion in estimated savings for industry and consumers, while
supporting good-paying American manufacturing jobs to produce the next
generation of equipment and HFC alternatives.
“Today’s actions embody President Biden’s leadership on the climate
crisis by tackling these planet warming chemicals while investing in American
technology and innovation,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This
final rule supports our transition away from HFCs and positions our nation to
be competitive on the global stage, while the proposed emissions reduction and
reclamation program will help ensure we achieve our national HFC phasedown.”
“President Biden delivered bipartisan ratification of the first
environmental treaty in decades, positioning the United States to lead on
innovating and manufacturing alternatives to super-polluting HFCs,” said
White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “Now, we are building on
that progress with ambitious new action from EPA and continued collaboration
across federal agencies to combat climate-damaging HFCs while creating
good-paying jobs and boosting American competitiveness.”
“Today’s announcement represents another important step forward in
curtailing the use of super-polluting refrigerants known as HFCs,” said
Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee. “We know that HFCs are thousands of times more potent than
carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere. Fortunately, thanks to the
Kigali Amendment and the bipartisan AIM Act, which I proudly co-authored, the
Biden Administration is phasing down HFCs in a way that advances our climate
goals and supports American manufacturers — turning adversity into
opportunity.”
The final Technology Transitions rule will help guide the overall phasedown by
accelerating the transition away from HFCs in areas where substitutes are
already available or being introduced—a key prong of the bipartisan AIM Act.
This final rule addresses petitions from companies, industry associations,
environmental groups, and state governments that were granted in October 2021
and September 2022 and restricts the use of certain HFCs in over 40 types of
foams, aerosol products, and refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump
equipment. The rule bans HFCs in certain equipment and sets a limit on the
global warming potentials (GWPs) of the HFCs that can be used in each
subsector, with compliance dates ranging from 2025 to 2028. This rule applies
to both imported and domestically manufactured products, which will help
ensure a level playing field for American businesses that are already
transitioning to HFC alternatives.
The proposed program to manage emissions reduction and reclamation of HFCs and
their substitutes would help minimize HFC leaks across the lifespan of
existing equipment, such as air conditioners and refrigeration systems, while
also maximizing the reuse of existing HFCs—supporting a growing American
industry for recovering HFCs from existing equipment and reclaiming them to be
used again, all while reducing lifecycle emissions. The proposed rule includes
requirements for repairing leaky equipment, use of automatic leak detection
systems on large refrigeration systems, use of reclaimed HFCs for certain
applications, recovery of HFCs from cylinders before their disposal, and a
container tracking system.
EPA estimates that the Technology Transitions rule would provide additional
cumulative greenhouse gas emissions reductions of at least 83 million metric
tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) from 2025 – 2050, a benefit of
at least $3 billion. In addition to climate benefits, this final rule is
estimated to provide $4.5 billion in savings for industry and consumers
through 2050, largely from improved energy efficiency and lower cost
refrigerants. The proposed rule on an HFC emissions reduction and reclamation
program is estimated to prevent at least an additional 142 MMTCO2e of HFC
emissions over the same time, an incremental net benefit of at least $6.1
billion. Both actions will help unlock additional climate benefits and savings
in addition to the national phasedown program, which is estimated to provide
approximately $270 billion in benefits.
“The Technology Transitions provisions of the AIM Act are critical to
ensuring an orderly transition from higher GWP refrigerants to lower GWP
refrigerants while creating American jobs and protecting the environment,”
said Stephen Yurek, President and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating &
Refrigeration Institute. “AHRI has appreciated the opportunity to
participate in this rulemaking and looks forward to continuing to work
constructively with the EPA to assist American manufacturers in developing and
deploying economical, efficient, and affordable new refrigerant technologies.”
“Alliance members commend the timely release of the technology transitions
rule to implement the AIM Act, and the proposed rule on HFC Refrigerant
Management,” said Kevin Fay, Executive Director of the Alliance for
Responsible Atmospheric Policy. “These actions are the two important
remaining policy legs of the AIM Act phasedown of HFC compounds. U.S. industry
has invested several billion dollars in development and introduction of
low-GWP compounds and technologies, and the Biden Administration’s timely
action reflects the value attributed to this investment and these important
implementing actions.”
“We welcome EPA’s continued action to phase down HFCs, speed the
transition to cost-effective alternatives, and ensure these harmful pollutants
are reclaimed and recovered,” said Casey Katims, Executive Director of the
U.S. Climate Alliance. “These rules build on the strong foundation Alliance
states established and we look forward to working with EPA to continue to
maximize the benefits for consumers and communities.”
Delivering Progress on the National HFC Phasedown
Last week, EPA also issued HFC allowances, which allow companies to produce or
import bulk HFCs for calendar year 2024. In 2024, the overall number of
allowances will be significantly lower than in 2023, as Congress has directed
a reduction to 60% of the historic baseline levels of HFCs, down from 90%
available this year. Allowances are issued consistent with the methodology
laid out in the final rule “Allowance Allocation Methodology for 2024 and
Later Years” that EPA published in July.
In August, the Interagency Task Force on Illegal HFC Trade, co-led by EPA and
the Department of Homeland Security and comprised of the Departments of
Defense, Justice, and State, held their semi-annual meeting along with the
White House and participants from the Environmental Investigation Agency. The
Task Force reported that since the allowance program went into effect on
January 1, 2022, they have prevented over 1.1 MMTCO2e of illegal HFC
shipments—equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from nearly 250,000
gasoline-powered cars in a year. The Task Force is working diligently to
continue to improve real-time monitoring of our borders to prevent illegal HFC
trade, especially leading up to the 2024 reduction in HFC imports. EPA also
continues to issue administrative consequences, retiring or revoking
allowances from companies that misreport or import HFCs without expending the
proper number of allowances. Retired allowances are no longer available to be
used, providing additional climate benefits.
EPA will accept comments on the proposed rulemaking, “Management of Certain
Hydrofluorocarbons and Substitutes under Subsection (h) of the American
Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020,” for 60 days after publication in
the Federal Register and hold a public hearing.
Read more information on HFC actions and comment on the proposed rule.
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