Energy Bill Grinds To A Halt Over HFC Drawdown, Thanks Largely To John Barrasso (Asshole-WY)

[hatrack]

EDIT

Senate Republicans and Democrats are hoping to add amendments, including one sponsored by Senators John Neely Kennedy (R-LA) and Tom Carper (D-DE) that would phase down the use of HFCs. The administration has been refusing the phasedown since taking office—a move that many Republicans, Democrats, and industries, e.g., heating and air condition, think unwise.

Trump’s refusal to support the phase down also means the US is unwilling to support the Kigali Amendment of the UN’s Montreal Protocol. As discussed in Climate Politics/Capitol Light (46), the Murkowski/Manchin legislation was a long-shot to be passed in the midst of the current political battles between House Democrats and Trump—even before the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate opposition is being led by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) in what appears to be a turf battle. Barrasso’s primary complaint is that the amendment should have gone through his committee—Environment and Public Works—before being added to AEIA.

Barrasso is also opposed to language in the amendment that blocks states from setting HFC standards that might be stricter than those of the federal government. Interestingly, his states’ rights argument is precisely the one that Trump refuses to accept in the case of auto fuel efficiency/emission standards.

EDIT

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-03-17/climate-politics-capitol-light-47/

[CurtEastPoint]

1. didn't know what HFC was...

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are potent greenhouse gases used as alternatives to ozone-depleting substances (ODS) being phased out under the Montreal Protocol. Atmospheric observations show that the volume of HFCs in the atmosphere is increasing rapidly, about 10-15% per year.