WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration will announce a rollback of two Biden-era federal refrigerant rules at a White House event on Thursday, loosening requirements that grocery stores and air-conditioning companies reduce greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment. President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin will unveil the changes, with executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly and other grocery chains expected to attend.

The administration said the rollback will save consumers $2.4 billion. Extending the deadline of the 2023 regulation that mandated the phase-out of industrial fridges with Global Warming Potential hydrofluorocarbons is estimated to save $900 million, mostly for grocery stores. Mass-granting of exemptions to roadway refrigeration units covered by a 2024 regulation is estimated to save $1.5 billion.

"Americans were right to be frustrated with the Biden-era refrigerant rules. They didn't protect human health or the environment and instead piled on costly, unattainable restrictions beyond what the law requires," Zeldin said in a statement. He said the rule imposed costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants U.S. businesses and families can use.

Zeldin said the new rule will "allow businesses to choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them, saving them billions of dollars. This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices." He also said the 2023 rule did not give companies enough time to comply and that the rapid switch to other refrigerants caused shortages and price increases last year. Zeldin also said, "Today, the Trump EPA is fulfilling President Trump's promise to lower costs and is fixing every problem we can under the authority Congress gave us."

The 2023 rule imposed steep restrictions on hydrofluorocarbons starting in 2026. In his first term, Trump signed the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020, which phased out hydrofluorocarbons as part of an international agreement on ozone pollution. Hydrofluorocarbons are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide and are considered a major driver of global warming. The law accelerated an industry shift to alternative refrigerants that use less harmful chemicals and are widely available. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supported the law and the Kigali Amendment as victories for jobs and the environment.

The Food Industry Association, which represents grocery stores and suppliers, said the earlier refrigerant rule "imposed significant and unrealistic compliance timelines." Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, opposed the change.

"This rule works against basic supply and demand," Yurek said. "By extending the compliance deadline for phasing out HFCs, the administration is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall." Yurek said manufacturers have already retooled product lines and certified models based on the existing timeline, and that nearly 90% of residential and light commercial air conditioning systems use substitute refrigerants rather than HFCs.