Washington, May 21 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the rollback of two Biden-era environmental regulations governing refrigerants and cooling systems, claiming the move would save Americans more than $2 billion annually, lower grocery prices and protect hundreds of thousands of jobs.
At an event in the Oval Office of the White House, alongside EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and executives from major grocery chains, Trump described the previous rules as “ridiculous, unnecessary and costly”.
Under the Biden administration’s “technology transition rule”, companies were required to adopt newer refrigerants and replace large-scale cooling systems in supermarkets, restaurants and transport fleets. Trump argued the changes sharply increased costs for businesses and consumers.
“Many grocery stores and restaurants had no choice but to replace their refrigerators entirely,” Trump said. “They went out of business, half of them. And these costs rose; Americans faced higher grocery prices and reduced access to critical medical supplies.”
Trump said the reforms would “deliver significant financial relief, saving American families and businesses more than $2.4 billion each year”. He added that the rollback would lower grocery prices, reduce transportation costs and cut air-conditioning expenses “at no detriment at all to our country”.
Zeldin said the Trump administration was reversing what he called a “rushed, frantic, reckless sprint” by the Biden administration to phase out existing refrigeration systems. He claimed the EPA changes would safeguard 350,000 jobs and save supermarkets alone nearly $800 million.
Executives from major retail chains echoed the concerns.
Kroger CEO Greg Foran said an “orderly transition” in equipment standards would help supermarkets avoid major capital costs and keep food prices lower for consumers.
Kevin McDaniel, a Piggly Wiggly franchise owner operating stores across Florida, Alabama and Georgia, said replacing refrigeration systems could cost between $800,000 and $1.5 million per store. “You would have seen grocery prices soar,” he said.
Trump repeatedly insisted the newer equipment was “inferior” and claimed it “doesn’t cool the food properly”. He also dismissed environmental concerns tied to the rollback. “There is no environmental concern,” Trump said. “It’s not going to have any impact on the environment.”
During a lengthy question-and-answer session, Trump also confirmed he had postponed signing a planned executive order on artificial intelligence.
“I didn’t like certain aspects of it, I postponed it,” he said. “I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead.” Trump added that the United States was “leading China” in AI development and said the sector was creating “tremendous numbers of jobs”.
–IANS
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