Document JzwE03O6BzewDLx9n47zonBa

To: From: Sent: Subject: jrg@juleannaglover.comOrg@juleannaglover.com] Dravis, Samantha Wed 11/29/2017 2:36:11 PM FW: INCYMI: Bloomberg Charge Size Story From: Messner, Kevin [mailto:KMessner@AHAM.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 11:52 PM To: Dravis, Samantha <dravis.samantha@epa.gov>; Gunasekara, Mandy <Gunasekara.Mandy@epa.gov> Subject: INCYMI: Bloomberg Charge Size Story Trump's EPA Backs a Climate Change Tweak Environmentalists Like By Eric Roston November 28, 2017, 10:14 AM PST j Obscure rule covering cooling gases is part of a global trend U.S. manufacturers urge Trump to adopt accord on chemicals The Trump administration took a small step toward addressing climate change last week - it just didn't put it quite in those words. Without fanfare -- or even a public announcement - the Environmental Protection Agency issued an arcane rule that allows refrigerator and airconditioner manufacturers to increase the amount of three cooling chemicals they can use safely. In a twist, the change was welcomed by manufacturers that want to adapt and use chemicals that would cause less global warming. While business groups and environmentalists split over the Clean Power Plan, 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA - 6/22 Production ED 001523 00008556-00001 the Obama administration's landmark attempt to address climate change, when it comes to replacing hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, both U.S. manufacturers and environmental groups are pushing for new rules to reduce their use. "It's a technical change, and it's not controversial," said Kevin Messner, senior vice president for policy and government relations at the a c ,i /r, k M foi w iy ! >ii "'hd * m i . "It's great to see something like this, as an example of how it can be done right." Carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel burning gets all the attention in climate change, and it's the main driver of global warming. HFCs make up a small fraction of the total, but their "global warming potential" - a measure of how much heat a gas can trap - makes them thousands of times more powerful than C02. Because of their potency, under President Barack Obama the U.S. signed on to a global accord to phase them out. United Nations diplomats met last week to discuss that accord. The Kigali Amendment was signed in October 2016, and went into effect when the 20th nation, Sweden, ratified the treaty, which would reduce potential global warming by 0.5 degree Celsius by 2100. While President Donald Trump has not submitted the treaty to the Senate for ratification, the State Department announced that the U.S. supports the pact on HFCs. The agreement is "pragmatic and balanced," said Judith Garber, of the State Department's oceans, environment, and scientific bureau. She said the administration is working toward submitting the treaty to the Senate for ratification. By declaring hydrocarbon successor chemicals as safe replacements to HFCs, the new EPA rule will help push appliances in the same direction as the Kigali accord. Phaseout Plans Home refrigerator makers in particular now have the EPA's authorization to phase out the use of HFCs, replacing them with a hydrocarbon called isobutane. Having the rule in hand frees manufacturers to go ahead with their phaseout plans without needing the Kigali Amendment ratified in the Senate, according to Messner. The EPA rule raises what the agency considers the safe levels of hydrocarbon coolants. The rule is confined to refrigerators and air conditioners, because car 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA - 6/22 Production ED 001523 00008556-00002 AC systems might release inflammable chemicals during an accident. "There are accidents," said David Doniger, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate and Clean Air Program. But "your home refrigerator is not going to run into another refrigerator at 30 miles per hour." In August, a federal appeals court struck down separate Obama-era regulations governing HFCs. The Chernoni r, Honeywell international Inc., and the NRDC have filed a request for a rehearing and are awaiting a decision. Kevin Messner Senior Vice President, Policy & Government Relations Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers 1512 Willow Lane, Davis, CA 95616 1111 19th Street NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 t202.872.5955 ext. 353 m 530.309.5629 f 202.872.9354 e kmessner@aham.org Connect with THE NEXT 50... STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY: The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this message are intended for the exclusive use of the addressee(s). If you are not the intended recipient, or the person responsible for delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient, be advised you have received this message in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying is strictly prohibited. Please notify The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers at (202) 872-5955 or unsubscribe@aham.orQ, and destroy all copies of this message and any attachments. 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA - 6/22 Production ED 001523 00008556-00003 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA - 6/22 Production ED 001523 00008556-00004