EPA finalized a rule Monday for a class of coolants that contribute heavily to climate change.
But the agency omitted a few key provisions from the final standards for hydrofluorocarbon that were included in the draft rule circulated last year.
Environmentalists said the changes could affect enforcement of the rule. The measure also doesn’t address training and certification for technicians who service refrigeration and air conditioning equipment — a likely focus of a future rulemaking if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president in November.
“We see this as a first refrigerant management rule,” said Richie Kaur, a senior advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “More needs to be done, and the ultimate goal is to either transition all HFC end-use sectors to non-HFC alternatives, or to mandate them to use recycled and reclaimed HFCs until such time as they are no longer needed.”
