President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration is easing federal restrictions on refrigerants used in grocery stores and air-conditioning systems, arguing the rollback will reduce costs for consumers and prevent unnecessary economic burdens on businesses.

During a White House event, Trump said the Environmental Protection Agency’s action would delay expensive regulations limiting which cooling chemicals businesses and households are allowed to use.

According to Trump, the change will “substantially lower costs for consumers” by postponing mandates that would have forced companies to rapidly transition away from older refrigerants.

The decision marks another attempt by the administration to respond to mounting public frustration over inflation and rising living expenses ahead of critical elections later this year.

The rules being relaxed were adopted during the Biden administration and targeted hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs — chemicals commonly used in refrigeration and cooling systems that are considered harmful greenhouse gases.

Despite the administration’s claims, it remains uncertain whether the policy shift will meaningfully reduce grocery prices or how quickly any savings would reach consumers. Several industry groups warned that the move could actually increase costs because manufacturers have already spent years redesigning products, upgrading factories, and training workers to comply with the previous standards.

Inflation in the United States climbed to an annual rate of 3.8% in April as energy prices surged amid the Iran war and the impact of President Donald Trump’s broad tariff policies. Rising oil and gasoline costs have contributed to inflation outpacing wage growth.

Trump sharply criticized the prior regulations during Thursday’s ceremony, which included executives from grocery chains such as Kroger and Piggly Wiggly.

The Biden-era regulation was “unnecessary and costly and actually makes the machinery worse,” Trump said. He added that the EPA’s rollback would safeguard hundreds of thousands of jobs while saving Americans more than $2 billion annually.

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, which represents more than 330 manufacturers involved in air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration, criticized the administration’s decision and warned it could destabilize the market.

“This rule works against basic supply and demand,” said Stephen Yurek, the group’s president and CEO. “By extending the compliance deadline” for phasing out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, the administration “is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall.”

Yurek said manufacturers had already adjusted product lines and certified new systems based on the earlier compliance deadlines. According to the group, nearly 90% of residential and light commercial air-conditioning systems already rely on replacement refrigerants instead of HFCs.

The latest policy reversal is particularly notable because Trump himself signed bipartisan legislation during his first term aimed at reducing emissions from refrigerators and air conditioners.

That 2020 measure brought together environmental advocates and major industry organizations in a rare alliance on climate policy and received praise from both political parties.

The law reflected a broad agreement in Washington that the United States should move quickly to phase out HFCs, which are considered thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide in contributing to global warming.

The EPA’s latest action underscores the second Trump administration’s broader effort to dismantle regulations viewed as supportive of climate initiatives.

Lee Zeldin has described the administration’s environmental agenda as an effort to drive a “dagger through the heart of climate change religion.”

Environmental groups blasted the move, arguing it would increase climate-related pollution while disrupting a transition the industry has spent years implementing.

The 2020 law signed by Trump — known as the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act — established a phased reduction of HFC use as part of an international agreement focused on ozone and climate pollution.

That legislation accelerated the industry’s shift toward alternative refrigerants using less harmful chemicals that are already widely available in global markets.

Major business organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chemistry Council, backed both the legislation and the international Kigali Amendment agreement, calling them victories for American jobs and manufacturing.

American companies such as Chemours and Honeywell have become major producers of the alternative refrigerants now sold domestically and internationally.

The EPA rule issued in 2023 — which is now being softened — would have imposed major restrictions on HFC use beginning in 2026.

Zeldin argued that the Biden administration’s timetable did not provide companies sufficient time to adapt and said the accelerated transition caused supply shortages and price spikes last year, though some industry officials dispute that claim.

The Food Industry Association supported the Trump administration’s proposal when it was first floated last year, arguing that the earlier requirements “imposed significant and unrealistic compliance timelines.”

{Matzav.com}