To the Members of the United States Senate:
The undersigned organizations urge you to vote “Yes” when the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol comes to the Senate floor. Earlier this summer we also sent a coalition letter underscoring its importance to the business community, which is united in our support for the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Kigali ratification would strengthen and build upon the economic benefits of last year’s bipartisan AIM Act by catalyzing job creation here at home and expanding access to growing export markets abroad for U.S. manufacturers, who lead the world in the transition from HFCs to American-made, next generation refrigerant technologies. Ratification would also enhance U.S. leadership in global trade and environmental policy forums and protect American economic and environmental interests.
Key rationale includes:
· The Kigali Amendment supports 33,000 new manufacturing jobs in the United States and $12.5 billion in new investment in the U.S. economy, which is projected to be generated over the next decade. [1]
· Adding indirect and induced impacts, the AIM Act/Kigali Amendment benefits increase to 150,000 new U.S. jobs and $38.8 billion in annual investment in the U.S. economy.
· The Kigali Amendment would lead to a 25 percent increase in the U.S. share of global export markets for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration equipment.
Global implementation of the HFC phasedown called for by the AIM Act and the Kigali Amendment would address a major contributor to climate change, avoiding up to 0.5 degrees Celsius in temperature increases by 2100. U.S. ratification is also essential for many American companies and the United States to meet our ambitious climate goals and maintain U.S. leadership in the development and deployment of climate-friendly technologies.
Failure to ratify the Kigali Amendment could limit U.S. manufacturers’ ability to access certain international markets and hinder environmental progress.
Sincerely,
Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute
Alliance for Automotive Innovation
Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy
American Chemistry Council
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International
National Association of Manufacturers
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association
Semiconductor Industry Association
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
[1] “Economic Impacts of U.S. Ratification of the Kigali Amendment.” Industry Forecasting at the University of Maryland (INFORUM) and JMS Consulting, 2018
