Экология Вашингтона оштрафовала Amazon и Walmart на более чем 1,1 млн долларов за продажу запрещенных хладагентов

WALLULA, Wash. – The Washington Department of Ecology has issued two penalties totaling more than $1.1. million against Amazon and Walmart for illegally selling cooling and refrigeration products that are banned in the State of Washington due to their use of polluting compounds. According to the Department of Ecology, in 2019 and 2021 the Washington State Legislature passed a series of laws that would eventually phase out the use of cooling products containing hydrofluorocarbons. DoE officials said hydrofluorocarbons are extremely powerful greenhouse gases that can trap thousands of times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. DoE officials said they began notifying businesses about the new laws in November 2021, and most businesses stopped selling products containing hydrofluorocarbons to Washington customers. However, according to the DoE, some outlets continued selling motor vehicle air conditioning recharge cans containing R-134a, a prohibited refrigerant. DoE officials said a single 16-ounce can or R-134a can have the same warming effect as driving a car for 1,500 miles, and officials say using such a can is much less effective than simply repairing the air conditioning system so a recharge isn’t necessary. According to DoE officials, Amazon and Walmart were selling products containing R-134a long after the ban came into effect. In March of 2026, the Washington Department of Ecology penalized Amazon $800,068 and Walmart $383,388. “Climate change is jeopardizing the health, safety and prosperity of our communities, and because they’re so powerful, phasing out hydrofluorocarbons is one of the most cost-effective actions we can take to address climate change,” said Joel Creswell, manager for Ecology’s Climate Pollution Reduction program, in a written statement. “Industry is already shifting towards more climate-friendly refrigerants, and we need to make sure that there is a level playing field as we go through this transition.” ​COPYRIGHT 2026 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.