President Donald Trump on Thursday will announce the overhaul of two Biden-era EPA rules for refrigerants as the administration seeks to lower the cost of groceries.
“Americans were right to be frustrated with the Biden-era refrigerant rules. They didn’t protect human health or the environment and instead piled on costly, unattainable restrictions beyond what the law requires,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a written statement. “Today, the Trump EPA is fulfilling President Trump’s promise to lower costs and is fixing every problem we can under the authority Congress gave us. 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.”
Trump will announce two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) actions that the administration believes will save Americans and businesses $2.4 billion, with savings expected to go to consumers through lower grocery prices, cheaper transportation of refrigerated goods, and more affordable home air conditioning.
Zeldin and Kevin Hassett, the assistant to the president for economic policy, will attend the announcement.
Corporate leaders present at the event include:
- Greg Foran, CEO, The Kroger Co.
- William Kevin McDaniel, CEO of McDaniel Family Investments (Piggly Wiggly)
- Jonathan Gay, Owner, Foodfresh
- Ron and Jennifer Graff Jr., Ron Graff Sr. Owner/COO of Columbiana Foods (Giant Eagle)
- Adam Gauthier & Annie Gauthier, Co-Owners of Y-NonStop
- Richard Niemann, Owner, Niemann Foods
- Reynolds Cramer, CEO, Fareway Stores
A White House official said the rule changes would save:
- Over $900 million from revisions to the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule, including more than $800 million at the supermarket.
- Up to $1.5 billion in projected savings for transporters of refrigerated goods under the proposed ER&R technical fix if finalized.
- More than 350,000 high-skilled American jobs safeguarded.
- Lower-cost options preserved for homeowners repairing or replacing residential AC systems
The president will specifically revise the Biden-Harris administration’s 2023 Technology Transitions Rule and propose a fix to the 2024 Emission Reduction and Reclamation (ER&R), which created what the White House believes are onerous restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants businesses and families can use.