A San Diego man has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling potent greenhouse gases into the United States from Mexico, becoming the first in the nation to be charged with smuggling environmentally damaging gases commonly used as refrigerants and selling them. illegally, according to federal authorities. prosecutors.
Michael Hart, 58, is accused of concealing hydrofluorocarbons, also known as HFCs, in his vehicle to transport them across the border into Mexico, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Hydrofluorocarbons are considered a major driver of global warming and have been the subject of climate legislation and treaties around the world. In 2020, importing refrigerants became illegal in the US without permits from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Hart, who was arrested Monday, pleaded not guilty in the case, according to prosecutors. It was not immediately clear who was representing him in the case.
“This is the first time the Department of Justice has prosecuted someone for illegally importing greenhouse gases, and it won't be the last,” Tara McGrath, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a statement. “We are using every means possible to protect our planet from the harm caused by toxic pollutants, including pursuing criminal charges.”
The indictment against Hart alleged that he posted the refrigerants, which are often used in refrigeration, air conditioning and building insulation, for sale on online sites such as OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace, and sold them for a profit. In addition to greenhouse gases, the indictment alleges that Hart imported HCFC-22, another ozone-depleting substance highly regulated by federal officials.
“Illegal smuggling of hydrofluorocarbons, a highly potent greenhouse gas, undermines international efforts to combat climate change under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol,” said David M. Uhlmann, assistant administrator of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement. from the EPA. “Anyone who seeks to profit from illegal actions that worsen climate change must be held accountable. “This arrest highlights the importance of EPA’s climate enforcement initiative and our efforts to prevent super-climate-polluting refrigerants from illegally entering the United States.”
The Kigali Amendment sought to limit the use and production of HFCs worldwide and find cleaner alternatives to refrigerants. Nearly 200 countries agreed to the agreement in 2016, although the United States did not sign it until 2021, after President Biden took office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
