EPA proposes cut in climate warming gas

In the first Biden administration rule aimed at combating climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to phase down use of hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

The proposed rule follows through on a law Congress passed in December authorizing a 15year phaseout of HFCs. The new rule is intended to decrease U.S. production and use of the gases by 85% over the next 15 years, part of a global phaseout intended to slow climate change.

HFCs are considered a major driver of global warming and are being targeted worldwide. President Biden has pledged to embrace a 2016 global agreement to reduce HFCs.

“With this proposal, EPA is taking another significant step under President Biden’s ambitious agenda to address the climate crisis,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Monday.

A huge pandemic relief and spending bill passed by Congress in December, and signed by former President Donald Trump, directs EPA to sharply reduce production and use of HFCs. The measure won wide support in both parties and was hailed as the most significant climate change law in at least a decade.

Sergio Azenha / Associated Press The Arouca Bridge opened Sunday in northern Portugal, about 185 miles north of Lisbon, offering a 1,700foot walk across its span above the River Paiva. Builders say it’s the world’s longest pedestrian span.