A California man was arrested and charged Monday in the first indictment on suspicion of smuggling a powerful greenhouse gas from Mexico. From the report: Michael Hart, 58, of San Diego, pleaded not guilty at a federal court hearing Monday to smuggling and selling for profit hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), commonly used in air conditioners and freezers. . According to the indictment, Hart allegedly purchased HFCs in Mexico, hid them under tarps and tools, and smuggled them into the United States in the back of a truck. He then allegedly sold them for profit on sites like Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. […] Mr. Hart has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges, including conspiracy, unlawful importation, and sale of unlawfully imported goods. The charge carries a possible sentence of five to 20 years in prison.
HFCs are also used in building insulation, fire suppression systems, and aerosols, and are prohibited from import into the United States without permission from the Environmental Protection Agency. Although these greenhouse gases are short-lived in the atmosphere, they are powerful, some thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. Illegal smuggling of hydrofluorocarbons, a highly potent greenhouse gas, is undermining international efforts to combat it. David M. Woolman, deputy administrator in EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, added, “Anyone who seeks to profit from illegal activities that exacerbate climate change must be held accountable.” “This is a milestone for our country,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement. “This is the first time the Department of Justice has prosecuted someone for illegally importing greenhouse gases, and it will not be the last.” Ta.
