The National Grocers Association (NGA) has petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to revise its Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Management Rule, citing unrealistic timelines, excessive compliance costs and regulatory requirements that exceed congressional mandates.
NGA’s petition argues that the HFC Management Rule imposes several impractical and overly burdensome requirements on food retailers, including drastically increasing the number of covered refrigeration appliances and setting a leak-rate limit that does not align with real-world systems. The Washington, D.C.-based trade association also contends that the rule’s repair, testing and retrofit deadlines are unrealistically short, given national shortages of technicians and parts, and requests more time to comply with automatic leak-detection system mandates.
“Independent grocers are committed to environmental sustainability and responsible refrigerant management,” said Max Wengroff, NGA’s senior manager of government relations. “But the EPA’s rule places unrealistic obligations on retailers that simply cannot be met under the timelines and thresholds imposed. These unnecessary obligations will raise costs for businesses and families.”
The independent grocery sector accounts for nearly one-third of all U.S. grocery sales, more than $250 billion annually and over one million jobs. NGA contends that without reasonable rule revisions, the HFC Management Rule will impose costs that many independent grocers cannot absorb and will ultimately be passed onto consumers.
The petition outlines specific concerns with the EPA rule’s implementation requirements. The association argues that expanded coverage of refrigeration appliances creates compliance burdens that affect smaller operators without the resources of large chains. The leak-rate limits set by the rule fail to account for the operational realities of commercial refrigeration systems used in grocery stores.
Technical workforce shortages compound the challenges independent grocers face in meeting repair and testing deadlines. The refrigeration technician shortage affects the entire industry, but independent operators with fewer locations and less negotiating power face particular difficulty securing timely service.
NGA requests extended compliance timelines for automatic leak-detection system installation to allow the industry adequate time to implement new technology while managing other operational demands and capital expenditures.
The association represents retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately-owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes.
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