Climate Policy in the End-of-Year Legislative Package Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Late Sunday, President Trump signed into law H.R. 133, the legislative package containing Coronavirus relief, the Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus bill, and the Energy Act of 2020 the largest energy package to be enacted into law in over a decade. This sweeping legislation, nicknamed the “Coronabus,” contains a number of climate-related provisions, including those outlined below.
Hydroflurocarbons Phasedown
The package includes a compromise deal to wind down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) over a 15-year period, under a program administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is the first legislation mandating a national phasedown of HFCs, although the EPA has overseen similar programs for other greenhouse gas emissions. The bill requires a reduction of HFC production and consumption to approximately 15 percent of their 2011-2013 level by 2036, and includes a narr