The Trump administration is set to ease a Biden-era regulation requiring grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment, in what officials say is a move to cut grocery prices. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lee Zeldin announced the change ahead of a White House event where President Donald Trump is expected to detail the policy.
The current rule, introduced under President Joe Biden, restricts the types of refrigerants businesses and households can use, imposing costly compliance measures. Zeldin stated that the new rule will "allow businesses to choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them, saving them billions of dollars. This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices." Executives from major grocery chains including Kroger and Piggly Wiggly are scheduled to join Trump at the event.
The policy shift comes as the administration seeks to address rising living costs ahead of November elections. US inflation reached 3.8% annually in April, driven by price spikes linked to the Iran war and Trump's tariffs, with inflation now outpacing wage gains. However, it remains unclear how much or how quickly the refrigerant rule change might ease grocery prices.
The move reverses Trump's earlier bipartisan stance on refrigerants. In 2020, he signed a law aimed at phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases thousands of times more harmful than carbon dioxide. That measure was praised across the political spectrum and aligned environmentalists with major business groups. The EPA's action is part of a broader rollback of climate-focused regulations, which Zeldin has described as putting a "dagger through the heart of climate change religion."
Environmentalists have criticised the plan, arguing it will increase climate pollution and disrupt a multi-year industry transition to alternative coolants. The proposed rule was announced last year.
