Federal prosecutors are hailing the first-ever criminal conviction for “climate change” crimes after a California man pleaded guilty to bringing banned refrigerants into the U.S. He faces up to five years in prison.
“Michael Hart of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court…admitting he conspired to illegally import potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) into the United States from Mexico and sell them for a profit in violation of regulations intended to slow climate change,” the Justice Department announced.
“In addition to greenhouse gases, Hart admitted to conspiring to illegally import hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), namely HCFC 22, an ozone-depleting substance banned under the Clean Air Act,” they added.
“During Climate Week, the United States recognizes the urgent need to limit climate super pollutants like HFCs to help address the existential threat of climate change,” said David M. Uhlmann, EPA Assistant Administrator of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s guilty plea for the first-ever HFC arrest demonstrates EPA’s commitment to vigorously enforcing our laws at all U.S. borders and ports to prevent illegal HFC canisters from entering the U.S.”
“Clean air is not for sale to the highest bidder,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “The Department of Justice will use every tool at our disposal to protect air quality and hold criminal polluters accountable.”
“Congress made it illegal to import certain refrigerants into the United States without allowances because of their documented and significantly greater contribution to climate change,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department is committed to enforcing the AIM Act and other laws that seek to prevent environmental harm.”
The DOJ statement reports:
HFCs are used in applications such as refrigeration, air-conditioning, building insulation, fire extinguishing systems, and aerosols. The global warming impact of an HFC can be hundreds to thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. Because of this, there has been an international phasedown of HFCs by 85 percent, resulting in an increase in the illegal smuggling and importation of HFCs.
This case is the first prosecution in the United States under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (AIM Act). The AIM Act prohibits importing HFCs without allowances issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and also prohibits selling, distributing, or offering for sale or distribution HFCs imported without allowances issued by the EPA.
As set forth in court documents, from about June to December 2022, Hart offered HFCs and HCFCs for sale via OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace and other internet sites. He then communicated with conspirators in the United States, who placed purchase orders for the refrigerants with Hart. Once the orders were placed, Hart purchased the refrigerants in Mexico with the help of his conspirators and illegally imported them into the United States concealed in his vehicle. Thereafter, Hart illegally sold the refrigerants to others in the United States, profiting from the black market for such refrigerants in the United States.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Oh! I thought this happened in America!
Nope. It was California.