Trump eases refrigerant rule in a bid to address surging grocery costs

The Trump administration loosened federal rules requiring grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cooling equipment, a step that President Donald Trump said would help lower grocery costs. Trump said at a White House ceremony that the action by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would "substantially lower costs for consumers" by delaying costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants U.S. businesses and families can use. The move to relax the Biden-era rules on harmful pollutants known as hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, emitted by refrigerators and other appliances, was the latest attempt by the Republican administration before pivotal elections in November to try to address rising voter concerns over the cost of living. It is not clear how much or how quickly grocery prices could be impacted. Industry groups said it could even raise prices because manufacturers have already redesigned products, retooled factories, and trained workers to build and service next-generation refrigerant equipment. Inflation in the United States increased to 3.8% annually in April, amid price spikes caused by the Iran war and Trump's sweeping tariffs. Inflation is now outpacing wage gains as the war has kept oil and gasoline prices high. The regulation from the Democratic Biden administration was "unnecessary and costly and actually makes the machinery worse," Trump said at a ceremony joined by top executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, and other grocery chains. He said the EPA action would protect hundreds of thousands of jobs and save Americans more than $2 billion a year. The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, which represents more than 330 HVAC manufacturers and commercial refrigeration companies, said the change in approach would "inject uncertainty across the market" and could even raise prices. "This rule works against basic supply and demand," said Stephen Yurek, the group's president and CEO. "By extending the compliance deadline" for phasing out HFCs, the administration "is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall." The net result will be "higher service costs and higher costs for consumers," he said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.