Trump to overhaul Biden refrigerant rules for lower grocery costs

overhaul Biden-era – President Donald Trump plans to announce changes to two Biden-era EPA refrigerant rules to expand availability of refrigeration options and cut costs for groceries and other businesses, with the White House projecting $900 million in savings and an additional

When the White House walks into the Oval Office Thursday morning. it won’t be talking about climate policy in the abstract. The goal is measurable: lower grocery prices. The administration says a refrigerant rules overhaul built under the Biden-era EPA is part of that effort. and President Donald Trump is scheduled to announce the changes with grocery executives in the room.

One of the steps would extend deadlines for groceries and other companies to phase out hydrofluorocarbons used in refrigeration under the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule. Hydrofluorocarbons—found in freezers, refrigerators, and air-conditioning systems—have been targeted as climate-damaging substances.

White House officials estimate the change will produce $900 million in savings, including $800 million at groceries. The administration links that expected relief directly to making more refrigerants available for supermarkets. homeowners. and other businesses. rather than forcing companies to move faster than supply chains and equipment upgrades can realistically absorb.

The second action is a proposal to amend the 2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation program. Under that proposal, all road refrigerant appliances used to transport goods would be exempted from new leak requirements for hydrofluorocarbons.

The White House projects an additional $1.5 billion in savings from the road-appliance exemption.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin laid out the administration’s rationale in a statement. arguing that the Biden administration’s refrigerant rules “didn’t protect human health or the environment and instead piled on costly. unattainable restrictions beyond what the law requires.” He said the administration’s approach would let businesses choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them. adding that “This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices.”.

Trump is scheduled to deliver the EPA changes at an Oval Office event Thursday morning, with executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly Fareway Stores, and other grocery chains expected to attend.

The refrigerant shift lands inside a broader Republican push to unwind or revise environmental and climate regulations from the Biden and Obama eras. The White House is framing the latest move as part of a cost-focused agenda. timed as surging inflation keeps political pressure on Republicans heading into the November midterm elections.

The stakes are visible in the latest inflation readings. The consumer price index surged 3.8% in April. the largest increase in inflation in three years. with the report pointing to increasing oil costs tied to the U.S. war in Iran. Grocery prices rose 2.9% in April compared with the previous year, after increasing 0.7% from the previous month.

In a tight sequence. the administration’s argument is straightforward: delay certain phaseout deadlines. expand access to refrigeration options. and narrow leak requirements for specific road transport equipment—then translate those changes into lower costs at the checkout line. The factual through-line hinges on the dollar figures the White House is putting behind the decisions: $900 million in savings from the deadline extension. including $800 million for groceries. plus $1.5 billion from the road-appliance exemption.

For now, the plan is clear and time-bound: an Oval Office announcement Thursday morning, followed by EPA rulemaking activity that would implement the deadline changes and pursue the proposed exemption.

Trump EPA refrigerant rules hydrofluorocarbons grocery prices Kroger inflation Technology Transitions Rule 2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation program Lee Zeldin deregulation