EPA’s Fast Move on HFCs Benefits Jobs, Health and Climate

WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize rules Thursday implementing the core requirements of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, passed on a bipartisan basis by Congress last year to transition away from hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs are potent climate pollutants used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, fire extinguishing systems, insulation and aerosols.

David Doniger, senior strategic director in the Climate & Clean Energy program at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) said:

“The EPA is moving fast to phase down production and import of super-polluting HFCs. This meets the central requirement of the bipartisan AIM Act, which passed last year with broad support from industry, states, and environmental advocates. Moving from HFCs to climate-friendlier alternatives is an important part of President Biden’s plan to meet the climate crisis by cutting America’s heat-trapping emissions at least in half by 2030—with big benefits for jobs, our health and a safer future.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.