EPA is urged to hasten ban on HFC coolant

WASHINGTON — A coalition of chemical companies and environmental groups urged the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday to speed the phase-out of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons in air conditioners and other products, in favor of less problematic coolants now being produced along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Last year, Congress authorized the EPA to reduce HFC production by 85 percent over the next 15 years and ban outright hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, that have readily available alternatives. HFCs were developed to replace aerosol chemicals that were damaging the Earth’s ozone layer, but have since been found to be hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere.

“EPA must put the (HFC law) into action by quickly moving these industries beyond reliance on climate-damaging chemicals,” said Alex Hillbrand, an advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national environmental advocacy group. “Doing so offers huge climate benefits (and) helps reassert U.S. leadership in the global fight against climate change.”

In recent years, plants worldwide have begun to produce HFO-1234yf, an alternative refrigerant to HFCs. Honeywell, the New Jersey-based industrial company, has begun producing the chemical at two plants in Baton Rouge, La.. Delaware-based Chemours has opened a plant in Corpus Christi in 2019, which is

have pointed to a strengthening recovery. In March, for example, hiring in manufacturing picked up notably, with 28 percent of employers saying they had increased employment, up 8 percentage points from the previous month.

The manufacturing production index surged to its highest reading in the survey’s 17-year history, jumping 28 points to 48.0 in March. The new orders index rose 18 points from the previous month to 30.5.

In the Dallas Fed indexes, any reading over zero indicates expansion. “Texas manufacturing activity surged in March, with a sharp acceleration seen across all indicators,” said Emily Kerr, Dallas Fed senior business economist. “Outlooks improved markedly, and expectations for activity six months ahead were quite positive.”

The outlook from the service sector survey also was optimistic outlook. The revenue index surged 19 points from previous month to 21.6 in March. The service sector employment index, which tracks hiring, jumped 10 points to 13.1 — its best reading since 2018.

Among retailers, the sales index rose nearly 20 points to 19.6, its best reading since last September.

In February, Texas employers cut 18,900 jobs, the first time the labor market contracted in 10 months. Economists attributed the decline in employment to the winter storm than knocked out power for millions of Texans and shut down businesses across the state.

In March, however, “data on staffing levels and hours worked at small businesses, mobility and engagement, and restaurant reservations all show a pickup in activity,” said Keith R. Phillips, senior economist at the Dallas Fed.

The state reports employment and unemployment statistics for March on Friday.