WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Power Subcommittee Vice Chairman Pete Olson (R-TX) and House Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH) today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting information related to the legality, cost, and feasibility of the agency’s proposed rule restricting several hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) refrigerants in residential refrigerators and other equipment. The rule is the second such effort by the agency to limit refrigerants used in refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment.
“We have serious concerns about this rule’s impact on American businesses and consumers, and we also believe that it exceeds the agency’s statutory authority by establishing a new and expansive global warming program never intended by Congress," wrote Olson and Chabot.
“These proposed regulations could have a chilling effect, and not the kind you want, on manufacturers and consumers alike. We have a number of questions about EPA’s legal authority to restrict these refrigerants and whether doing so makes sense," commented Vice Chairman Olson. “We also need to know more about the actual environmental impacts of the proposed rule."
“I believe that EPA’s proposed rule may pose particular burdens for small businesses that the agency has not fully taken into consideration," noted Chairman Chabot. “I look forward to EPA’s responses to these concerns."
