NGA Backs Resolution to Halt EPA’s Refrigeration Regulations
The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association for independent supermarket retailers and wholesaler distributors, has thrown its enthusiastic support behind Rep. Neal Dunn’s, R-Fla., Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution, H.J. Res. 30, to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Final Rule: Management of Certain HFCs and Their Substitutes Under the AIM Act.
“The EPA’s new refrigeration regulations place an undue financial and operational burden on independent grocers who are already grappling with historic increases in labor, utility and credit card swipe fee costs,” said Chris Jones, chief government relations officer at Washington. D.C.-based NGA. “In an industry that sees an average net margin of 1.4%, any additional expenses can be detrimental. This rulemaking could lead to higher grocery prices for consumers and, in extreme cases, force community grocers to shut their doors. Congressman Dunn’s resolution provides a critical opportunity to protect Main Street businesses and their customers from these onerous mandates.”
“The EPA clearly did not consider the undue burden they would place on American businesses when they finalized their sweeping refrigeration regulation,” noted Dunn. “American grocers and restaurants do not need government regulators in their kitchens and storerooms, driving up operating costs and forcing them to pass that cost on to the consumer. The Congressional Review Act is designed to address egregious over-regulation such as this, and I look forward to stopping bureaucratic red tape from further raising food prices for American families.”
The compliance deadlines, which start as early as Jan. 1, 2026, combined with inflated costs for new refrigerants and updated equipment, disproportionately affect independent grocers, many of which are unable to implement the changes within the mandated timelines, according to NGA.
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Responding to what it believes are the regulatory burdens that the Management Rule would inflict on retailers in various industries across the United States, NGA led a coalition of industry advocates in issuing a joint letter of support for Dunn’s resolution. The trade association is also calling on federal legislators to back the resolution.