I just finished with an official Environmental Protection Agency “public testimony hearing”, which was an extended Microsoft Teams Call. One takeaway is that my therapist’s job is not in jeopardy. The meeting concerned the refrigerant crisis we are presently in. However, the bigger crisis is that this is the way we make laws for all of us to follow. There were 268 people on a call designed to go for one hour. Now that’s ambitious! The first 10 speakers were straight from the corporate end of America, that when detractors of our system refer to “corporate types”, these are the people they are describing. Self-centered. Smarter than you. Only want to hear themselves speak…and you should bow before and after this torture starts and ends. If they paid me to listen to this crap (explitive changed to protect tender ears and eyes), which they don’t, it wouldn’t be worth the money.
The first guy out the bag (and I won’t be naming him as he is a lawyer…enough said) was a strategist for a climate group. Essentially his message was “let them eat cake” and then ignore them. He bloviated that they have been working on this for decades through the Montreal Protocol and now through the Kigali Accords. I’m sorry if in the process of feeding your families and earning a living, you didn’t get a chance to read these two documents. Thank your God that he showed you a better life. The bottom line to these two documents is the world is going to end and you’re to blame. He stated “that only a few small splinter groups don’t agree” with his findings so therefore, not only should we carry on with the refrigerant transitions in the present timelines but we should revisit the length of time (and speed it up) before we get to propane. And that’s the final word!
He was followed by every manufacturer, manufacturer-sympathizer or chemical producer. We had three air conditioning contractors. Not one citizen. To be at this hearing, you had to be retired (thank you very much), an owner or a paid corporate head. To add to the humor, all these “elites” were busy explaining how we had to move forward, that technology demanded it and made it easier. That’s when the “teams call” went sour. There were 9 groups of people who asked to speak (more correctly, read prepared statements). Not one of those “groups” got through all their speakers without technical difficulty and in the last 2 groups nobody got to speak because of technical difficulties or if I can offer an alternative, they hung up from boredom. In any event, new technology has problems even though some of us will overlook it.
So here we are. What do we do? Send your anecdotal testimony demonstrating how you and your customers are getting hurt by these refrigerant deadlines to FRACCA and we will compile these stories and make them part of the public record by sending it to the EPA. But even better we will distribute those stories to our legislators so they get to know that THEIR CONSTITUENTS, our customers, need them to wake up and stop the madness. Make this a priority as these deadlines are real and near. The consequences are real and immediate. Do it to help your customers, your industry, yourself and your country. It’s up to you to show them the power of “splinter groups”.
About Paul
Paul Stehle is the current president of the Florida Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRACCA) and recently “retired” after a successful 50-year career as a contractor in Sarasota. Paul has served on local and statewide air conditioning contractor associations and has consistently been among the first to defend the industry when it has been threatened and been an advocate for unity, apprenticeships, professionalism and fairness. He has supported other trade associations as well, most notably the Gulf Coast Builder’s Exchange. Paul continues to be involved in the HVACR industry and his community. Stay tuned for more literary contributions
