President Trump announced Thursday that his administration is loosening rules that would have restricted the use of super-polluting greenhouse gases in commercial refrigeration. [some emphasis, links added]
Trump said that his administration is “officially terminating the Biden administration’s ridiculous regulations imposing costly requirements on refrigerators and air conditioners.”
“Today’s reforms will deliver significant financial relief, saving American families and businesses more than $2.4 billion,” he said.
A White House official confirmed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would issue a final rule giving companies, including grocery stores, more time to phase down the use of planet-warming hydrofluorocarbons in their refrigerators.
The news was first reported by USA Today. It’s not a surprise because the administration proposed to loosen the rule last year.
However, it comes as Americans are dealing with high inflation at the grocery store. U.S. food costs were 0.6 percent higher in April than in March and were up 3.2 percent year-over-year.
In a statement, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said that Biden-era rules phasing down the use of these refrigerants “piled on costly, unattainable restrictions beyond what the law requires.”
“Today, the Trump EPA is fulfilling President Trump’s promise to lower costs and is fixing every problem we can under the authority Congress gave us,” Zeldin said. “This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices.”
Top: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok.
Read rest at The Hill
