MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont and New York are among states suing the EPA over a rule change they say would weaken regulations designed to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
HFCs are used for refrigeration and cooling and are up to 10,000 times more potent than the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. They are among the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the lawsuit.
The coalition of 18 states is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the EPA’s new rule, arguing it is contrary to law and that the EPA fails to justify its change in position.
“From blankets of wildfire smoke to worsening storms and floods to exceedingly high temperatures, we are experiencing the climate crisis in real time,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Congress passed a bipartisan law to reduce some of the most dangerous greenhouse gases because the costs of inaction are simply too high. The EPA cannot ignore that law and put our communities at risk.”
Vermont and New York were joined by California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York.
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