NAFEM advocates for passage of AIM Act

The U.S. Senate’s American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act outlines a plan to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) over a course of 15 years, in compliance with the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol that requires the phaseout of HFCs. The Act is projected to create 33 million new jobs, $12.5 billion in new investment, and a 25 percent boost in exports.

NAFEM submitted comments advocating for passage of the AIM Act to the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. “The Act will establish a federal framework for guiding the commercial food equipment industry through a transition out of HFCs and into next-generation refrigerant technologies – many of which are made and manufactured here in the United States. The AIM Act helps our industry maintain its technology leadership, which in turn helps American manufacturers expand their share of the global market,” NAFEM stated in its comments.

According to Stephen R. Yurek, president and CEO, Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), “The AIM Act gives those sectors ready and able to move quickly out of HFCs the chance to do so in an orderly, market friendly manner, while providing flexibility to those sectors that need more time to plan before making a successful transition.”

Stephen Schaefer, group leader, Hoshizaki America, Inc., said, “AIM will allow manufacturers to focus on one directive for refrigerant scheduling. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has years of experience understanding the field of products and the time needed to shift gears to a new landscape of green environmental products. The compromises in the AIM Act will help all sides meet the bigger goal in a timeline that will not hurt the industry.”

More information is available at aimforjobs.org and in AHRI’s fact sheet available here.