ARLINGTON, Va. – Today, FMI – The Food Industry Association president and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin issued the following statement praising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of the revised Technology Transitions Rule and reconsideration of the Refrigeration Management Rule.
“FMI is incredibly grateful for EPA’s efforts to prevent an increase in grocery prices by revising the Technology Transitions Rule and reconsidering the Management Rule. Taken together, these actions preserve the agency’s goals without placing unnecessary financial burdens on the food industry and grocery shoppers.
“The previous rules imposed significant costs and unrealistic compliance requirements and timelines that threatened to drive up grocery prices and create substantial implementation challenges for food retailers. Economic analysis indicates that EPA’s Technology Transitions Rule and Management Rule together could impose nearly $144 billion in total costs on American businesses and consumers — equivalent to an economic burden of more than $1,000 per American household.
“Providing grocery retailers with additional time to comply with the Technology Transitions rule and announcing reconsideration of the Management Rule to evaluate ways to make it less burdensome will help address challenges related to upgrading refrigeration systems, including the limited availability of alternative technology, shortages of qualified installers and technicians, and other supply chain constraints. It will also provide much-needed certainty to stores across the country and help prevent billions of dollars in unnecessary refrigeration premiums that would then have to be passed on to consumers.
“We thank President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for recognizing the need to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses and the cost of living for consumers. These revisions represent a powerful example of how smart regulation can achieve the administration’s goals, be workable for industry, and simultaneously preserve affordability for families in every community.”
