‘Big Deal’ Rule Slashing Climate Pollutants Finalized by EPA (1)

The Biden administration on Thursday finalized its first major move in climate regulation, aimed at curbing greenhouse gases by slashing climate superpollutants called hydrofluorocarbons.

The rule facilitates an 85% phasedown of the use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, over the next 15 years. That’s estimated to cut the equivalent of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050, White House National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy told reporters at a Wednesday night press briefing.

“It’s really frankly, folks, a very big deal,” she said.

The new standards get the U.S. on track to meet international HFC reduction goals ahead of the ...