Washington– The Trump administration is scheduled to do so Easing the federal rule This requires grocery stores and air conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gases used in refrigeration equipment, which officials say is a boost to lower grocery costs.
Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin said Biden-era rule It imposes costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants that American businesses and families can use.
The new rule “will allow companies to choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them, saving them billions of dollars. American families will feel this firsthand as grocery prices decline,” Zeldin said in a statement issued ahead of a White House event on Thursday where President Donald Trump is scheduled to announce the changes. Executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly and other grocery chains are expected to join him.
With voter concerns about the cost of living rising ahead of pivotal elections in November, the Republican administration is trying to address affordability issues. It’s not clear how much or how quickly relaxing the refrigerant rule will ease grocery prices.
Inflation in the United States It rose to 3.8% annually In April, amid rising prices caused by Iran war And President Donald Trump Comprehensive definitions. Inflation is now outpacing wage gains as the war has kept oil and gasoline prices high.
The administration’s action on refrigerants represents a reversal after Trump signed a law in his first term It aims to reduce harmful pollutants that cause global warming emitted from refrigerators And air conditioners. The bipartisan action created a rare alliance between environmentalists and major business groups on the controversial issue of climate change and received praise across the political spectrum.
The 2020 law reflects a broad bipartisan consensus on the need to quickly phase out domestic use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide and are considered a major driver of global warming.
The EPA action highlights the direction of the second Trump administration Roll back regulations seen as climate friendly. The plan is among a series of sweeping environmental changes that Zeldin said would put a “dagger through the heart of the climate change debt.”
Environmentalists have criticized the administration’s plans, saying the proposed rule announced last year would worsen climate pollution while disrupting the industry’s years-long shift to new refrigerants as an alternative to HFCs.