US EPA To Cut Hydrofluorocarbon Production & Use

The EPA on Monday proposed a rule to slash U.S. production and use of HFCs by 85% over the next 15 years, beginning in 2022.

Hydrofluorocarbons are widely used in refrigeration and air conditioning and are thousands of times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

The proposed rule would be the first executive action under the Biden administration to mandate climate pollution reductions, and the EPA estimates the rule would yield $284 billion in benefits through 2050 while saving industry money.

Republicans have supported HFC pollution reductions, which do not require fossil cuts, in the past, including in bipartisan spending legislation last December.

Hydrofluorocarbons were introduced in the 1980s to replace ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Sources: Washington Post $, New York Times $, AP, NPR, Reuters, Axios, The Guardian, Politico Pro $, The Hill, Bloomberg $

Originally published by Nexus Media

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