Court rules against HFCs as replacement for ozone-depleting substances

In an April 7 ruling on Mexichem Fluor v. EPA, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit restored an earlier federal prohibition on switching from ozone-depleting substances (ODS) to HFCs as companies seek to reduce the climate impact of refrigeration equipment. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and a coalition of states led by New York, sued the EPA in 2018 to restore the prohibition. “This is an important victory for our climate,” said Peter DeMarco, an attorney for the NRDC. “The court’s decision restores restrictions on HFC use that EPA had illegally removed. EPA must ensure that as companies complete their transition away from ozone-depleting substances, they switch to alternatives safer than climate-polluting HFCs.”