EPA to cut greenhouse gases thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

The agency’s final rule will slash the use and production of hydrofluorocarbons — widely used in air conditioners, refrigerators and other appliances — by 85 percent over 15 years

By
Dino Grandoni
Today at 5:00 a.m. EDT

The Biden administration will finalize its first new climate rule Thursday, slashing the use of greenhouse gases warming the planet at a rate hundreds to thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide.

The Environmental Protection Agency regulation, which establishes a program to cut the use and production of chemicals known as hydrofluorocarbons in the United States by 85 percent over the next 15 years, implements a law passed by Congress last year. There is broad bipartisan support for curbing these super-pollutants, which are short-lived and often used in refrigeration and air conditioning.

White House officials said the new rule tackles global warming while supporting jobs to manufacture new alternatives.

“It’s a win on climate and a win on jobs, and American competitiveness,” Gina McCarthy, the White House national climate coordinator, told reporters in an online briefing Wednesday evening. “It’s really — frankly, folks — a very big deal.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/09/23/biden-climate-rule-hydrofluorocarbons/