Major HVAC equipment manufacturers and state attorneys general filed joint litigation against the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The legal challenge opposes administrative revisions that rolled back statutory phase-down requirements governing hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants. Senior counsel David Doniger said the revisions were bad for the environment and bad for the economy and opposed by the bulk of American industry.
Plaintiffs represent over 90 percent of heating and cooling systems manufactured in North America, supported by 60,000 industry professionals. Corporate manufacturers invested billions of dollars transitioning production facilities to next-generation climate-friendly refrigerant alternatives. The complaint asserts that executive modifications undermined predictable capital commitments mandated by the bipartisan AIM Act of 2020.
A coalition of state attorneys general joined environmental organizations in petitioning the federal bench for injunctive relief. The filings argue that unilateral regulatory waivers destabilize commercial supply chains while increasing long-term energy operational costs. Federal courts ordered regulatory defense counsel to submit administrative records ahead of formal preliminary injunction hearings.
