[20170905]LSB10154_D、 C.巡回法院拒绝EPA禁止氢氟碳化合物的努力：第1部分.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i D.C. Circuit Rejects EPAs Efforts to Ban Hydrofluorocarbons: Part 1 September 5, 2017 A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) recently vacated part of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule promulgated in 2015 that would have prohibited manufacturers from using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of greenhouse gases (GHGs), as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (ODSs). Based on EPAs earlier decision to approve HFCs as acceptable ODS substitutes in specific uses, HFCs are currently used as replacements for ODSs in many products such as refrigerants in refrigerators and air conditioners. The courts decision raises questions about what authority EPA could use if the agency seeks to continue to regulate HFCs and how the United States may meet its international obligations should it ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol), which seeks to reduce the production and use of HFCs. Part 1 of this two-part Sidebar series provides background on the U.S. implemen