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May 10, 2021

Biden Administration Rescinds Energy Regulations, Proposes New Environmental Rules

On May 3, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new regulation designed to sharply reduce the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, a class of greenhouse gases used in refrigerators, air conditioners, and building insulation. The EPA’s new regulation would aim to cut HFC production, import, and use by 85 percent over the next 15 years, beginning in 2022.

Read more here.

Organizations like the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) have been pushing for this type of a rule from the EPA. Last year, for example, NAM promoted  a bipartisan deal to require EPA to issue.

While the industry might support that Biden administration action, on May 7, the U.S. Department of the Interior rescinded a Trump administration rule that would have made oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) easier. Specifically, the Trump-era rule would have eliminated requirements that said oil operators must show they can promptly begin containment operations in the event of a spill and must submit plans for any new drilling operations.

As a reminder, upon taking office in January 2021, President Biden signed an executive order temporarily blocking all oil and gas activity in ANWR. Read more here.

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