EPA Transport Provisions in Superpollutant Rule Limited by Court

Transport and tracking provisions in the Environmental Protection Agency’s hydrofluorocarbon rule exceeded the agency’s authority to regulate the climate superpollutant, according to a circuit panel decision handed down on Tuesday.

The agency went too far past its Congressional mandate when it chose to require certain QR-code tracking devices and a ban on refillable containers when transporting hydroflorocarbons, or HFCs, for certain cooling and heating needs, according to the opinion authored by Judge Justin R. Walker of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Additional claims against the EPA’s authority to regulate HFCs and HFC blends more ...