{"id":1972714,"date":"2023-07-14T01:47:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T05:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-targets-air-conditioning-refrigerants-over-climate-concerns\/"},"modified":"2023-07-14T01:48:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T05:48:42","slug":"biden-admin-targets-air-conditioning-refrigerants-over-climate-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-targets-air-conditioning-refrigerants-over-climate-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Administration focuses on AC refrigerants due to climate worries."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-admin-targets-air-conditioning-refrigerants-over-climate-concerns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1972714&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0714\/4e9910da-ab8f-4606-be83-27f3f4e4bc63\/audio.mp3?length=4950477&#038;duration=413\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration has announced stringent new rules to reduce the use of coolants used in most air conditioning units and other appliances in the name of fighting climate change, with experts warning it will likely mean Americans will have to pay more to stay cool.<\/p>\n<p>The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/climate-hfcs-reduction\/regulatory-actions-allowance-allocation-and-reporting?utm_source=tri-city%20news&#038;utm_campaign=tri-city%20news%3A%20outbound&#038;utm_medium=referral\">issued a final rule<\/a> to slash the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 40 percent by 2028 while decrying the chemical a \u201cclimate super-pollutant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The rule dovetails with earlier efforts under the 2020 American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act to reduce the production and consumption of these chemicals by 85 percent by 2036.<\/p>\n<p>HFCs are a type of synthetic refrigerant that is widely used as a replacement for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are known for having properties that deplete the ozone layer.<\/p>\n<p>However, while HFCs do not damage the ozone layer, they are potent greenhouse gases that EPA says contribute to climate change.<\/p>\n<p>HFCs are used as refrigerants in most cooling systems, including refrigerators, heat pumps, and air conditioners.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5397269\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/07\/13\/id5397269-air-conditioner-3-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n\t\tAn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-targets-air-conditioning-refrigerants-over-climate-concerns\/\" title=\"Biden Administration focuses on AC refrigerants due to climate worries.\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/police-search-underway-after-2-inmates-escape-from-ariz-prison\/\" title=\"Police search underway after 2 inmates escape from Ariz. prison\">air conditioning unit<\/a> undergoes repair<\/a> in Austin, Texas, on July 10, 2023. (Brandon Bell\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n<p>Since the HFC phasedown first began on Jan. 1, 2022, the import and production of HFCs have required special allowances, with EPA saying in its Tuesday announcement that the number of these allowances will experience \u201ca significant decrease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While there are HFC alternatives and more are being developed, it\u2019s unclear how quickly the market could adapt and what kind of an impact the phaseout will have on the prices of air conditioning.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Lieberman, a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) who specializes in environmental policy, wrote in an <a href=\"https:\/\/cei.org\/opeds_articles\/the-skyrocketing-cost-of-staying-cool-this-summer-and-future-ones\/\">analysis in 2022<\/a> that wholesale prices for commonly used refrigerants had already increased 400 percent since EPA first embarked on the HFC phaseout a year prior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cService technicians say that replacing refrigerant lost from a leak now costs upwards of $800, about double what it did a year ago,\u201d Mr. Lieberman wrote. \u201cMoreover, EPA\u2019s HFC quotas tighten in the years ahead, so the ratchet will keep turning, surely causing homeowners\u2019 bills to increase further still.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And while the environmental benefits of phasing out HFCs have become conventional wisdom, these, too, have been challenged.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/acp.copernicus.org\/articles\/13\/6083\/2013\/acp-13-6083-2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Some research<\/a> has estimated that an HFC phasedown could avoid up to half a degree Celsius of warming by 2100, a goal that EPA cited in its announcement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe U.S. HFC phasedown program, bolstered by domestic innovation to develop alternative chemicals and equipment, is paving the way for the United States to tackle climate change and strengthen global competitiveness,\u201d Joe Goffman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-to-spend-13-billion-on-whatever-environmental-justice-is\/\" title=\"EPA to Spend  Billion on Whatever \"Environmental Justice\" Is\">principal deputy assistant administrator<\/a> of EPA\u2019s Office of Air and Radiation, in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>However, the claim that phasing out HFCs by 85 percent by 2100 would prevent a half a degree Celsius of warming has been challenged, with critics arguing that this conventional wisdom is based on questionable assumptions and dubious foundations.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5397268\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/07\/13\/id5397268-air-conditioner-4-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n\t\tA technician repairs an air conditioning unit in Austin, Texas, on July 10, 2023. (Brandon Bell\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Beltway Rent-Seeking\u2019?<\/h2>\n<p>Patrick Michaels, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Benjamin Zycher, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, penned a critical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/op-eds\/would-a-phaseout-of-hydrofluorocarbons-avoid-half-a-degree-of-global-warming\">op-ed in the Washington Examiner<\/a> when EPA first unveiled a proposal (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-05\/documents\/hfc_allocation_nprm_043021_admin.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) to begin curbing HFCs back in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe HFC phaseout makes no sense as part of a larger international effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/buttigieg-becomes-the-first-millennial-confirmed-to-a-cabinet-position\/\" title=\"Buttigieg Becomes The First Millennial Confirmed To A Cabinet Position\">reduce greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>,\u201d the pair wrote. They performed a calculation based on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-moves-forward-phase-down-climate-damaging-hydrofluorocarbons\">EPA\u2019s estimate<\/a> that slashing HFCs in the United States would eliminate the equivalent of 4.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 4.7-million-ton equivalent reduction would be 17 one-thousandths of 1 percent, the temperature effect of which would be undetectable,\u201d they argued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis phaseout has nothing to do with environmental protection and everything to do with classic Beltway rent-seeking by a special interest group. It should be rejected,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Still, moves to curb the use of HFCs have seen rare bipartisan support in Washington and among industry.<\/p>\n<p>The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), which represents air conditioning, heating, and commercial refrigeration manufacturers, called the rule a key step on the road to implementing the AIM Act.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis latest allocation rule is a critical step in the implementation of the AIM Act schedule for phasing down hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants,\u201d AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur industry appreciates the work<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration unveiled strict regulations to curb the use of coolants in air conditioning units and appliances, aiming to combat climate change. However, experts caution that this move may result in higher costs for Americans seeking to maintain a comfortable temperature. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released these guidelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":1972715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1972714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1972714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1972714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1972714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1972715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1972714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1972714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1972714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}