ALBANY, New York — Will Gov. Kathy Hochul come for your refrigerator?
Hochul is facing pressure on all sides as her administration mulls final rules targeting refrigerants that warm the planet at an alarming rate. While the rules would not expressly mandate the removal or upgrade of existing equipment — except in supermarkets by 2035 — they would set strict standards for sales of new commercial refrigerators, residential heat pumps and chillers in the next decade.
The Department of Environmental Conservation proposed regulations in December 2023 that, in the short term, largely coincide with federal standards and set nation-leading post-2030 limits on refrigerants. The rules haven’t yet been finalized.
The grocery industry, HVAC contractors, spray foam insulators, farmers and other business groups are pressuring Hochul and her officials to back down, warning the rules will be disruptive and costly to implement.
