COURT RULING THREATENS TO RESULT IN MORE HEAT-TRAPPING CHEMICALS

A briefing by Energy Innovation detailing the potential climate impact of a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that vacated an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard for regulating hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) through the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program.

• A U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in August 2017 determined that the EPA exceeded its authority by regulating hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) via the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. This decision threatens the prevention of between 3.6 billion and 9.5 billion metric tons of avoided emissions by 2050.
• The EPA's proposed SNAP program updates aimed to restrict high global warming potential (GWP) HFCs in aerosols, foams, refrigerators, and air conditioners over a 5-10 year period. These updates were projected to reduce HFC emissions by nearly 30% by 2050, representing a yearly decrease of approximately 162 million metric tons (MMT) and cumulative reductions exceeding 3.6 billion metric tons.
• The ruling complicates the U.S. ability to meet the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, negotiated in October 2016, which requires an 85% reduction in U.S. HFC use between 2019 and 2036. Full implementation of the Kigali Amendment would have reduced HFC emissions by nearly 90% by 2050 (nearly 500 MMT of CO2e per year), totaling nearly 9.5 billion metric tons in cumulative reductions.
• The legal challenge was initiated by foreign companies Mexichem and Arkema to gain international market share. Conversely, U.S. companies Honeywell and Chemours supported the SNAP program in court because they produce HFC substitutes.
• Despite the ruling, alternative paths for HFC reduction exist, including potential legislation from Congress or existing EPA greenhouse gas requirements for passenger cars that encourage replacing HFCs with non-GHGs and improving air conditioning leakage rates.

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} }