EPA rule sharply limits HFCs, gases used as refrigerants

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is sharply limiting domestic production and use of highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners. The new rule on hydrofluorocarbons is intended to decrease U.S. production and use of those gases by 85% over the next 15 years as part of a global phaseout designed to slow global warming. HFCs are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. They often leak through pipes or appliances that use compressed refrigerants and are considered a major driver of global warming. White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy says the rule is expected to reduce harmful emissions by the equivalent of three years of emissions from the U.S. power sector.