WASHINGTON —President Donald Trumpis set to announce the overhaul of two Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency rules for refrigerants in a push tolower grocery costsfor consumers, according to an administration official.
One action will extend deadlines for groceries and other companies to phase out the use of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbonsfor refrigeration under the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule.
The move is expected to make more refrigerants ‒ used in freezers, refrigerators and air-conditioning systems ‒ available for supermarkets, homeowners and other businesses, which the White House estimates will produce $900 million in savings, including $800 million at groceries.
The EPA is also proposing to amend the2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation programto exempt all road refrigerant appliances used to transport goods from new leak requirements for hydrofluorocarbons. The White House projects an additional $1.5 billion in savings from this change.
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Trump is scheduled to announce the EPA changes at an Oval Office event Thursday morning, with executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly Fareway Stores and other grocery chains on hand.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, in a statement, said the refrigerant rules adopted by the Biden administration "didn’t protect human health or the environment and instead piled on costly, unattainable restrictions beyond what the law requires."
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"Our actions 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," Zeldin said.
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The Trump administration has repealed or overhauledan assortment of Biden and Obama-era environmental and climate rulesas part of an aggressive deregulation agenda.
The latest move comes as the Trump administration is working to highlight actions aimed at reducing costs for Americans amid surging inflation that poses a political liability for Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.
The consumer price index surged 3.8% in April, the largest increase in inflation in three years, as a result of increasing oil costs stemming from the U.S. war in Iran.
Grocery prices were up 2.9% in April over the previous year after increasing 0.7% from the previous month.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump to overhaul Biden-era refrigerant rules in push to lower costs