WASHINGTON (May 2, 2022) — The American Chemistry Council (ACC) today urged the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) to approve the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. A committee vote is scheduled for May 4. The Kigali Amendment is a global agreement to cut the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The White House sent it to the Senate on November 16, 2021.
“We have welcomed the HFCs phasedown as a major step forward in addressing climate change,” said ACC Senior Director for Energy, Climate, and Environment Charles Franklin. “The phasedown can reduce a sizable source of emissions while creating manufacturing jobs and growing our nation’s share of the global market for air-conditioning and refrigeration products.” U.S. companies have developed effective alternatives to HFCs for these uses.
ACC endorsed the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, which was enacted as part of the FY 2021 spending bill and began the national phasedown of HFCs. ACC supported the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to reduce the production and use of HFCs by 85% over the next 15 years. The rule was finalized in late 2021.
“SFRC approval of the Kigali Amendment would enable the full Senate to provide its advice and consent,” Franklin concluded. “We encourage swift Senate ratification of the treaty as a way to accelerate the climate and economic benefits created by the AIM Act.”
