Insulation Makers Win EPA Reprieve
Six months before its scheduled phase-out, a chemical used to manufacture extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation is getting the green light for continued use from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The EPA has proposed a new rule that would allow the insulation industry to continue using a hydrofluorocarbon blowing agent called HFC-134a in combination with other compounds to make XPS. That practice was to have ended on January 1, 2021 under terms of an EPA rule dating to 2015 as the government looked for ways to reduce the global warming potental (GWP) of the insulation. HFC-134a has a GWP of 1,430…