The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced several enforcement actions to support national and international goals of reducing the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to combat climate change.
The actions, sometimes in the form of notices of violation, include landmark settlements with three HFC importers that failed to report their imported quantities in violation of the Clean Air Act's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, according to a March 2 news release.
“These NOVs demonstrate EPA's commitment to enforcing the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020,” Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Larry Starfield said in the release.
EPA is aggressively pursuing similar actions against several other importers who failed to report their HFCs, the release said. Compliance with the allowance system is critical to assuring the success of the country’s HFC phasedown program. Illegal imports undermine the phasedown, disadvantage companies who follow the rules and contribute to global warming.
Stopping illegal HFC imports is a top priority of a federal interagency task force that includes EPA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the release. In fiscal year 2022, the task force prevented illegal HFC imports equal to more than 889,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the carbon dioxide released from powering 173,000 homes with electricity for a year.
HFCs are commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, the release reported. Released to the atmosphere, HFCs can have a climate impact thousands of times stronger than carbon dioxide. The enforcement of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program demonstrates the Biden administration's commitment to addressing HFCs and protecting the climate.
The U.S. agreed, under the bipartisan AIM Act, to phasedown HFC production and consumption by 85% by 2036, consistent with the international HFC phasedown laid out in the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, the release reported. Global efforts to phase down HFCs are expected to avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by 2100.
Accurate reporting of HFCs helps set sound policy and going forward under the HFC phasedown will allow the United States to verify it is meeting the limits under the AIM Act, the release reported.
