APPROVED APRIL 9, 2024

RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

GREATER UTICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

 

 

WHEREAS,  New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed, through the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), to phase out refrigerators and air conditioners that use hydrofluorocarbons (HFC’s) – the main refrigerant currently used in these appliances;  and

 

WHEREAS,  this new climate agenda mandate will require restaurants and small grocers to replace existing units, which will result in higher food prices as the cost of upgrades are passed on to consumers;  and

 

WHEREAS,   the current federal regulations require an 85% reduction in the use of HFC’s by 2036;  and

 

WHEREAS,  under Governor Hochul’s plan, the DEC will require some new businesses to install HFC-free units by next year, with pricey retrofitting to begin 2029, and larger commercial replacements by 2035; and

 

WHEREAS,  new household air conditioning units must be HFC-free by 2028, which is expected to dramatically increase the price of these units;  and

 

WHEREAS,  these new mandates will be most detrimental to small businesses and lower-income households, a group the Governor claims to be protecting;  and

 

WHEREAS,  these new mandates are likely to accelerate the outward migration of New York residents to other parts of the country;

 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce opposes the proposed new rules under consideration by Governor Hochul’s DEC to eliminate hydrofluorocarbon-based refrigeration ahead of the federal mandates.