EIA calls on US to implement HFC bans
13th April 2021
USA: Environmental groups have petitioned the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restrict the use of HFC refrigerants in key cooling sectors.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has been joined by several other organisations in calling for the EPA to implement the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act and prohibit using many HFCs in newly manufactured refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
It calls for replicating the stringent regulation recently approved in California by targeting the largest sectors of HFC consumption and emissions and prohibiting the use of HFCs in new systems ranging from small residential air conditioners to large refrigeration systems in supermarkets.
“This is a key moment for the US to demonstrate true climate leadership by implementing the most ambitious feasible restrictions on HFC use,” said the EIA’s senior policy analyst Christina Starr.
“These regulations are essential to meet the Kigali Amendment HFC phase-down schedule. If strong enough, they can make it feasible to accelerate it in several years and help lead the world into the next chapter of Montreal Protocol climate action.”
It says that the EPA “must make up for the lost time” and use its authority to implement the new AIM Act in the most ambitious and effective way.
“Our petition presents an ambitious roadmap to end the unnecessary reliance on climate-damaging gases for cooling, especially by the supermarket industry. California has already demonstrated that this is eminently achievable,” said EIA climate campaign lead Avipsa Mahapatra.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Green America, and Shecco America joined EIA as co-petitioners.
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