Biden Administration Finalizes Rule To Slash Super-Pollutant HFCs

The EPA rule targets an 85% reduction in hydrofluorocarbons, a class of potent greenhouse gases, by 2036.

The Biden administration on Thursday will issue a final rule to rapidly phase down the production and use of a class of planet-warming super-pollutants found in air conditioners, refrigerators, aerosols and insulating foam.

The Environmental Protection Agency rule aims to reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, by 85% within 15 years — a move that the Biden administration says will not only go a long way toward fighting climate change but also bolster U.S. manufacturing and innovation. 

HFCs are short-lived but potent greenhouse gases, trapping thousands of times more heat than an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide.