U.S. Senate Approves Key Environmental Treated Supported By Industry

In a bipartisan 69-27 vote on September 22, the U.S. Senate ratified an international treaty, the Kigali Amendment, that would alter the 1987 Montreal Protocol and phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (commonly used refrigerants) in favor of more efficient next-generation alternatives.

The treaty is expected to reduce emissions by the equivalent of 80 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Senate vote to ratify the treaty will enhance the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers working to develop alternative technologies, and level the global economic playing field. It also would catalyze job creation at home, supporting 33,000 new manufacturing jobs in the United States and $12.5 billion in new investment in the U.S. economy over the next 10 years.

As officials at the National Association of Manufacturers have pointed out, the treaty also put the United States in a position to hold countries like China and India accountable for their environmental stewardship while protecting U.S. workers and improving the country’s trade balance.

More than 130 countries signed on to the treaty, which was agreed to in Kigali, Rwanda in 2016.