The stimulus bill will phase out super greenhouse gases

Congress’s $900 billion stimulus bill includes some unexpected climate provisions, including new restrictions that will change the way Americans cool their homes and refrigerate their groceries. The new measures will phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in air conditioning and refrigeration, “super” greenhouse gases that are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in their climate impact.

The goal of the provision is to cut the production and import of HFCs by 85 percent by 2035. Under the new provision, that goal will be federal policy and the EPA will have the power to implement new restrictions on manufacturers and importers in order to meet it.

Those measures will bring the US in line with an important climate...

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