Biden admin proposes phase out of climate-damaging refrigerant
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed a rule to slash the use of a potent climate-warming gas commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners by 85% over the next 15 years, a move it said will play a big part in U.S. plans to halve its greenhouse gas emissions this decade.
The proposal to curb the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) would keep the equivalent of 900 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from reaching the atmosphere over that period, it said, a climate impact similar to preventing the combustion of a trillion tons of coal.
“By phasing down HFCs, which can be hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the planet, EPA is taking a major action to help keep global temperature rise in check," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.
The proposal would sets annual “allocations” for each U.S. HFC producer and importer that gradually decline over time. It arises from a law passed by Congress in December 2020 that directed the EPA to issue regulations phasing down HFC production and imports.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-admin-proposes-phase-climate-135113870.html