HVACR Unchanged as EPA Announces End of Green New Deal

Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this morning declaring that “Yesterday was the most consequential day of deregulation in American history.” Administrator Zeldin continued saying that the Green New Deal is no more as the agency will pursue 31 deregulatory actions. As an industry that is heavily regulated by the EPA, any announcement of future deregulatory action trigger reactions across HVACR companies nationwide. (Note: This is an announcement of what the EPA will do in the future, no changes have occurred yet)

Next Steps for HVACR After the EPA's Announcement

For HVACR, the bullet point in EPA’s press release that drew the most attention was “Reconsideration of technology transition rule that forces companies to use certain technologies that increased costs on food at grocery stores and semiconductor manufacturing.” While “reconsideration” should sound pretty straightforward, it actually has a specific meaning in the regulatory process. HARDI joined AHRI and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy in submitting a Petition for Reconsideration, a formal request to change a specific part of a previous regulatory action. The industry petition asked the EPA to limit future manufacturing of outdoor condensing units to prevent future market manipulation through imports of R-410A outdoor units far into the future. In June 2024, EPA granted the petition, meaning it would open a future regulatory action on this issue, and yesterday’s announcement is the next step in this process of closing this loophole (DOE also helped to close the loophole, making the petition less necessary) and petitions from the semiconductor industry.

The inclusion of “increased costs at grocery stores” is also a likely reference to the ongoing litigation against the agency over the Technology Transition Rule and a possible negotiation to adjust supermarket refrigeration dates.

Do the EPA deregulatory actions affect the HVACR industry?

The bottom line is that the deregulatory actions promoted by the EPA have not yet changed any regulations that affect the HVACR industry, but HARDI will continue to monitor what proposals are released by the EPA and keep you informed of any changes that will impact your business.

Make Your Voice Heard in Washington, DC for the HVACR Industry

Join us for the HARDI Congressional Fly-In on May 19-20 and take action on the policies that impact your business. We’ll provide the insights and arrange the meetings—your role is simply to show up and advocate for the HVACR industry. Make a real difference in the policies that matter.

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