WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, September 23, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy commended the signing today of the HFC phasedown Allocation Rule. “This rule is the critical first milestone in the implementation of the AIM Act, which became law in December 2020,” said Karen Meyers, Chairman of the Alliance Board and Vice President of Rheem Manufacturing, “we applaud the EPA and the entire Biden Administration for its effort to meet the first statutory deadline for its promulgation.”
The American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 was passed with broad bipartisan support, and is one of the most significant U.S. legislative policy actions of the last decade. The Act provides the blueprint for a gradual phasedown of high global warming potential (GWP) HFC compounds and the introduction of world-leading next generation low-global warming potential technologies for air conditioning, refrigeration, insulating and other foams, medical products, fire protection and numerous other uses. It has three major components, a phasedown schedule for the manufacture and sale of covered HFC compounds, authority for implementation of complementary user sector controls to assure timely transfer to the next generation technologies, and an emphasis on increased refrigerant management and the reclamation and re-use of used refrigerants.
According to an economic analysis by the University of Maryland, implementation of the AIM Act over its first decade is projected to lead to the creation of 33,000 manufacturing jobs in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, improve the U.S. balance of trade by more than $12 billion annually, and allow U.S. industry to increase its share of the global HVACR products market by 25%. To date, U.S. industry has already invested billions of dollars for the identification and commercialization of low-GWP technologies. These low GWP technologies will help the world implement the Kigali Amendment, which achieves the HFC phasedown on a global basis by 2047.
“We look forward to reviewing the final allocation rule in full detail and working with EPA to achieve a smooth phasedown as it also initiates efforts on user sector rules and refrigerant management,” said Alliance Executive Director Kevin Fay.
The Alliance and its member companies and associations have worked for more than a decade at achieving a globally sustainable policy that stimulates the transition to low-GWP compounds and use technologies in a manner that is economically and environmentally sensible. The AIM Act combined with the global implementation of the Kigali amendment achieves the objective of sustainability.
The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy (“Alliance”) is the industry coalition of fluorocarbon producers, user entities and trade associations of companies that rely on these compounds. The Alliance was organized in 1980 and has been a leading voice in the development and implementation of ozone protection and climate change policy at the global level as well as domestic implementation under Title VI of the Clean Air Act and the 2020 AIM Act.
Kevin Fay
The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy
fay@alliancepolicy.org
