Washington (September 23, 2021) – Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Climate Change, Clean Air, and Nuclear Safety, released the following statement after the Biden administration announced a key climate rule -- that the United States will cut the use and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – the chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning systems, and other appliances - by 85 percent over the next 15 years. HFCs have climate-warming effects that are up to thousands of times greater than those of the same amount of carbon dioxide.

 

“HFCs are superheating our planet, exacerbating extreme weather events, and threatening the physical and economic health of our communities,” said Senator Markey. “I applaud President Biden’s actions to cut down these super-pollutants while strengthening our ability to compete in a global clean energy market. We must use this action as a springboard and continue to push for the ambitious solutions we need to combat the climate crisis by passing the budget reconciliation bill.”