Rolled

President Trump on Thursday announced that grocery stories and air conditioning companies will be allowed to keep using high-polluting refrigerants for longer than they would have under a law he signed during his first administration.

“This was a tremendous burden, a tremendous cost,” said Trump, surrounded in the Oval Office by executives from supermarket chains including Kroger, Fairway, Neimann Foods and Piggly Wiggly. “It was making the equipment unaffordable, and the actual benefit was nothing.”

The move loosens rules meant to restrict hydroflourocarbons, a class of climate-damaging chemicals used in cooling equipment. HFCs are known as “super pollutants” because their impact on climate change can be tens of thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide during their shorter lifespans.

In the move Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency extends the deadline for companies to comply with a 2023 rule transitioning refrigerators and air conditioners off HFCs and onto new cooling technologies. Reducing these chemicals and moving to cleaner refrigerants has long been a bipartisan issue.

Trump is also proposing exemptions from a rule requiring leak repairs on large-scale refrigeration systems.

The administration framed the changes as part of its effort to bring down high grocery costs. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said the actions will save $2.4 billion for Americans and safeguard 350,000 jobs.

“Americans who wanted to be able to fix their equipment were instead being required to buy far more costly new equipment and that just doesn’t make any sense,” said Zeldin.

David Doniger, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the move will not only harm the climate, but U.S. competitiveness in global refrigerant markets as well.

“The EPA is catering to a small group of straggling companies by derailing the shift away from these climate super-pollutants,” he said. “The industry at large supports the HFC phasedown and has already invested in making new refrigerants and equipment, currently installed in thousands of stores.”

Danielle Wright, executive director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council, an environmental nonprofit, said any perceived near-term savings from the rollbacks will be outweighed by the future costs.

“Business owners are far more worried about the escalating cost of keeping aging, high‑global-warming-potential equipment running than they are about the cost of installing new, compliant systems,” she said.

Trump dismissed the climate concerns, saying his changes “are not going to have any impact on the environment.”

He said he wants to get rid of the technology transition rule entirely in the future.

TRAINS will run through the night to one of the UK’s busiest airports from today.

Commuters will be able to catch eight new timetabled services that offer more reliable journeys.

All-night rail services between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport will run from today, in a major new boost to the city’s nighttime economy.

TransPennine Express has scheduled trains to run hourly through the night, every day of the week, with eight new overnight services included.

Greater Manchester residents have shared their excitement, with one saying it is “good to see these services reinstated after all these years,” and others calling it “unbelievable.”

The new schedule hopes to improve airport access, as well as offering better commuting services for hospitality workers and passengers travelling in the early hours of the morning.

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Trains from Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport are generally faster than driving, with the journey taking between 15 and 20 minutes, and a drive taking up to 30 minutes.

This schedule adds to the already simplified train travel system in Manchester, which only sells anytime or off-peak tickets, making services more affordable.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We’re proud of our thriving night-time economy, and we’re looking to back it with transport that matches how people live and work.

“These all-night trains will help people get to where they need to be – whether that’s catching an early flight, getting home after a late shift, or travelling into town to enjoy everything our night-time economy has to offer.

Nicola Buckley, people director at TransPennine Express, echoed Burnham:  “These all‑night services are about supporting the people and businesses that keep Greater Manchester going 24 hours a day.

“By improving overnight connections to Manchester Airport, we’re making rail a more practical option for workers and passengers alike, while helping to strengthen the region’s night‑time economy.”