EPA sets stricter limits on hydrofluorocarbons used in refrigerators, air conditioners

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is enforcing stricter limits on hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners that contribute to global warming. A rule announced Tuesday will impose a 40% reduction in HFCs below historic levels starting next year, part of a global phaseout designed to slow climate change. The rule aligns with a 2020 law that calls for an 85% reduction in production and use of the climate-damaging chemicals by 2036. More than 130 countries, including the United States, have signed a 2016 global agreement to greatly reduce use and production of HFCs, which produce greenhouse gases thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide.