Lee Zeldin looks to push back deadline on refrigeration standards to 2032

WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin joined President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday to announce plans to roll back Biden-era restrictions on refrigerants used in grocery-store freezers, refrigerators and air-conditioning systems.

Zeldin and Trump, speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, argued the move will help stores keep costs down for consumers by giving retailers more time to replace costly refrigerant systems that do not comply with the 2023 regulations.

The Biden-era standards, known as the “2023 Technology Transitions Rule,” restricted the use of Global Warming Potential (GWP) hydrofluorocarbons in new refrigeration and air-conditioning products. The chemical compounds used in refrigerants are considered high-level pollutants and the Biden-era rules gave companies until 2028 to phase out their use in cooling equipment, but the changes implemented Thursday give companies until 2032.

The EPA announced last September it was looking to revise the 2023 rule, and on Thursday Zeldin said the extension will “allow businesses to choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them, saving them billions of dollars. This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices.”

Trump, speaking at the Oval Office, downplayed the potential environmental impacts, saying the changes caused “no detriment to our country, including environmental detriment.”

The latest federal consumer price index report, released in April, shows the cost of goods is up 3.8%, compared with the same period last year.

Industry groups said Thursday that stores have already been transitioning to new environmentally friendly systems that rely less on harmful hydrofluorocarbons. They added there is no evidence Thursday’s proposed changes will have a major impact on consumer prices because there is no guarantee retailers will take the changes into account when setting prices.

Stephen Yurek, president of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, a trade group, said in a statement posted to the group’s website that costs could rise because production of hydrofluorocarbons has been declining since 2020, after Congress set limits to the production of the chemicals under the 2020 American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.

“This rule works against basic supply and demand,” said Yurek. “By extending the compliance deadline, the EPA is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall under the AIM Act. So, instead of falling, refrigerant prices are likely to rise, resulting in higher service costs, and higher costs for consumers.”

Asked how the rule changes would help lower prices, Trump called on the CEO of supermarket chain Kroger to answer the question.

“An orderly transition of equipment reduces both capital costs and operating costs," Kroger CEO Greg Foran said. "And at the end of the day, that’s good for consumers because we’re able to take that and put that into lowering prices.”

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.