House GOP Prepares To Deregulate Refrigerant HFC23 - 1 Ton Of HFC23 Equals 14,800 Tons Of Carbon Dioxide [View all]

A group of House Republicans introduced legislation last week to kill a rare climate policy that’s garnered support from Republicans, Democrats and regulated companies.

H.J. Res. 30 from Reps. Neal Dunn of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Michael Rulli of Ohio and Mark Messmer of Indiana would scrap EPA’s rule on hydrofluorocarbons, which are powerful greenhouse gases.

Dunn said in a statement that EPA “clearly did not consider the undue burden” on businesses when issuing a “sweeping” rule affecting the refrigeration industry.

The rule’s release late last year means it’s vulnerable to being eliminated under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress and the White House to undo rules issued within a certain timeframe.

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https://www.eenews.net/articles/house-republicans-seek-to-kill-bipartisan-climate-rule-2/

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-23 is a potent greenhouse gas with a 100-year global warming potential (GWP) of 14,800. While there are limited instances where HFC-23 is captured, purified, and used for commercial purposes, the majority of HFC-23 is unintentionally created as a byproduct during the production of certain fluorinated compounds, including hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22.

While HCFC-22 is an ozone-depleting substance that has been phased out domestically under the Clean Air Act in line with the international phaseout occurring under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, it can still be produced for use as a feedstock to make other chemicals, such as low-GWP hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs). These HFOs can be used in many of the same applications as high-GWP HFCs, so transitioning to them can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

EDIT

https://www.epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction/control-hfc-23-emissions