COURT RULING THREATENS TO RESULT IN MORE HEAT-TRAPPING CHEMICALS

A U.S. Court of Appeals ruling vacating the EPA's SNAP program threatens to prevent the avoidance of up to 9.5 billion metric tons of HFC emissions by 2050 and may hinder the U.S. ability to meet its commitments under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

• The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the EPA exceeded its authority by regulating hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) through the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. This decision puts at risk cumulative emissions reductions of more than 3.6 billion metric tons by 2050, which would have been achieved by preventing high global warming potential (GWP) gases from being used in aerosols, foams, refrigerators, and air conditioners.
• The ruling may obstruct the U.S. from fulfilling the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which requires a decrease in U.S. HFC use by 85% between 2019 and 2036. Full implementation of the Kigali Amendment would have reduced HFC emissions by nearly 90% by 2050, avoiding nearly 9.5 billion metric tons of cumulative emissions.
• The legal challenge was initiated by foreign companies Mexichem and Arkema, who could gain international market share if the U.S. does not implement the standard. Conversely, U.S. companies Honeywell and Chemours supported the SNAP program in court because they produce HFC substitutes.
• Despite the ruling, the U.S. may still meet Kigali Amendment goals through Congressional legislation or existing EPA rules, such as greenhouse gas requirements for passenger cars that allow manufacturers to replace HFCs in air conditioning with non-GHGs.

APA

ORVIS, R. (2017). COURT RULING THREATENS TO RESULT IN MORE HEAT-TRAPPING CHEMICALS. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Court-of-Appeals_ruling_EPA_HFC_Kigali_Research-Note.pdf

Chicago

ORVIS, ROBBIE. COURT RULING THREATENS TO RESULT IN MORE HEAT-TRAPPING CHEMICALS. Energy Innovation, 2017. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Court-of-Appeals_ruling_EPA_HFC_Kigali_Research-Note.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=ORVIS |first1=ROBBIE |title=COURT RULING THREATENS TO RESULT IN MORE HEAT-TRAPPING CHEMICALS |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=August 2017 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Court-of-Appeals_ruling_EPA_HFC_Kigali_Research-Note.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orvis2017court, author = {ORVIS, ROBBIE}, title = {{COURT RULING THREATENS TO RESULT IN MORE HEAT-TRAPPING CHEMICALS}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2017}, month = aug, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Court-of-Appeals_ruling_EPA_HFC_Kigali_Research-Note.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }