Houston, Texas, USA, 11 February 2018: Following a recent US District Court ruling, upholding a judgement it made in 2017, prohibiting the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) from requiring US HVACR manufacturers to replace hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) refrigerants with safer alternatives, Honeywell has decided to file an appeal against the ruling before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), said Josh Byerly, Spokesperson, Honeywell.

Speaking on the development, Byerly said: “Honeywell is deeply disappointed in the District Court’s decision not to review its earlier ruling regarding the [US] EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) programme. We believe the court missed an opportunity to reverse its initial decision, which ignored the original intent of SNAP to direct the US EPA to replace ozone-depleting substances with safer alternatives.”

Byerly added that the appeal was to ensure that American HVACR companies continue to innovate, manufacture and commercialise next-generation technologies that are better for human health and the environment. “The transition from HFCs in favour of safer solutions, such as hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), which radically reduce the greenhouse gas impact of refrigerants, aerosols, solvents and blowing agents, is already well underway,” he said.

Offering an example of the progress towards better refrigerants, he said, California is implementing a programme to reduce 40% of HFCs and other greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and has already begun to adopt phase-out requirements for some applications covered by SNAP.

Byerly further said that 11 other states, aligning with the SNAP programme, are also seeking solutions to transition to technologies that are safer for human health and the environment.

According to the US EPA, the SNAP programme to phase out HFCs was initiated in 2015 by former US President Barack Obama.