United States. The Interagency Task Force on the Illegal Trade in Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) announced that over the past ten weeks it has prevented illegal shipments of HFCs equivalent to approximately 530,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, the same amount as the emissions of nearly 100,000 households using electricity in a year.
Effective January 1, 2022, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) HFC permit allocation and trade program went into effect, HFC importation requires permits. Shipments arriving at U.S. ports without proper authorizations have been identified, detained, and re-exported.
In September 2021, the task force was established when the EPA issued a final rule initiating a comprehensive program to limit and gradually reduce the production and consumption of climate-damaging HFCs in the United States, potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. A global reduction in HFCs is expected to avoid up to 0.5°C of global warming by 2100. The gradual reduction of HFCs is projected to avoid approximately 4600 million metric tons of CO2 between 2022 and 2050 in the United States, or nearly the equivalent of three years. value of U.S. power sector emissions at 2019 levels. The task force helps ensure that the vast environmental benefits of the rule are realized by detecting, deterring, and disrupting any attempt to illegally import HFCs into the United States.
"Our task force is already sending a clear message to potential violators that we are strengthening our borders against illegal imports. It's simple: no assignments, no entry," said Joe Goffman, deputy principal deputy administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. "Strict enforcement of our HFC allocation program ensures that U.S. efforts to phase out these climate-damaging chemicals are successful."
"EPA will continue to work closely with its federal partners to implement a multi-pronged enforcement strategy that includes pursuing civil and criminal violations of the law," said Lawrence Starfield, acting deputy administrator of the Office of Enforcement enforcement.
"We are proud of the collaborative work we have been doing to identify suspicious shipments, investigate them and punish violators," said Gail Kan, Acting Executive Director of Trade Policy and Programs, U.S. Bureau of Trade, Customs and Border Protection. The United States is closed to illegal trade; in this case, trade that damages our climate. We will continue to increase our efforts, so potential violators should be careful."
Violation of the AIM Act can result in administrative and civil fines, as well as injunctive relief and other consequences, including revocation of concessions. In addition, authorities may confiscate illegally imported HFCs, or the importer may be required to re-export or destroy the goods, at their expense. Knowing about AIM Violations and Related Smuggling Offenses may result in criminal fines, imprisonment, and other penalties, as appropriate.
The task force is co-chaired by the EPA and the Department of Homeland Security, and includes Customs and Border Protection, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and Department of State. In addition to stopping illegal imports at the border, the task force also announced that epa issued 14 notifications of infringement to companies that allegedly failed to comply with HFC notification obligations under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP).
These companies are HFC importers who received HFC allocations after reporting late. The implementation of the GHGRP is a necessary component to maintain the HFC Permit Allocation and Trade Program and the working group's deterrence work. It is also an important part of EPA's broader climate regulation and enforcement work.
