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January 1, Home Depot Slapped with $1.6M Fine: The Banned Product They Kept Selling

Gardening and home renovation season is here, and Home Depot is expecting a surge in foot traffic. However, the home improvement chain has found itself in hot water with a recent banned product controversy.
On June 27, the Washington Department of Ecology (WDE) issued a $1.6 million fine to Home Depot for selling banned hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) products despite attempts by the environmental regulatory agency to bring the retailer into compliance.
The penalty comes after two years of Home Depot continuing to sell these prohibited HFC products, which WDE claims are “potent” to the earth’s protective ozone layer.
According to the WDE, “HFCs are chemicals made up of hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon. They are commonly used in air conditioning and refrigeration, in producing insulating foams, and as propellants. These greenhouse gases are a short-lived ‘super pollutant’ and can be thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide.”
Since 2019, the Washington Legislature has passed laws to gradually phase out the use of HFC products. In July 2021, it became illegal to sell R-134a canisters at retail stores. R-134a is an HFC refrigerant found in car AC systems, with a “global warming potential 1,430 times that of carbon dioxide.”
“Restricting HFC products and equipment is key to achieving the state’s statutory greenhouse gas emission limits and ultimately getting to net zero by 2050,” said Joel Creswell, who manages Ecology’s Climate Pollution Reduction Program.
Despite Washington’s HFC regulations being in place, the WDE notified businesses on how to comply with the new laws, which went into effect in Nov. 2021. While most companies voluntarily took action, Home Depot did not. Instead, they kept R-134a canisters available to customers in-store and online.
The WDE said they held meetings with Home Depot’s compliance teams between 2021 and 2023 to remove HFC products from the retailer’s website. “[The WDE] was assured that the identified products would not be available for purchase in Washington and that no new prohibited products would be added to the website,” per the release.
However, a routine compliance check in July 2023 showed that Home Depot was still selling R-134a canisters. A total of 1,058 units of the banned products were purchased in Washington between April 2022 and Sept. 2023.
Home Depot is being fined $1,500 per violation for a total of $1.6 million. The WDE reduced the amount, which was originally set at $10,000 per violation. Home Depot has 30 days to appeal the HFC products penalty to Washington’s Pollution Control Hearings Board.
As our loyal readers, we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions on this issue. Let your voice be heard and join the discussion below.

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Jack
July 4, 2024 at 7:37 pm
I’m throwing the BS flag on this the enviromental wackos cannot show any science that proves their theory. It is time to do away with these nutjobs.
Kelly
July 4, 2024 at 7:39 pm
Total Bullshit
Kirk Augustin
July 4, 2024 at 7:44 pm
Freon R-134a is perfectly legal and is what ALL car AC units have to use. And they all need recharging every couple of years due to shaft seal leaks during the winter. The article is totally and completely and needs to be retracted. Anyone can buy Freon R-134a at any auto parts store. It can never be illegal to sell, as there is no alternative for automotive AC.
thomas carl pesek
July 4, 2024 at 8:08 pm
I used to recharge fire extinguishers with that, it’s halon.
the law is you are allowed to sell and use it till it’s gone.
I still have some.
thomas carl pesek
July 4, 2024 at 8:09 pm
You know, this ban is a rule, not a law passed by congress.
chevron thrown out.
Ironically Satirical
July 4, 2024 at 9:08 pm
Anotherlibtard greenie overreach. Just ban air conditioning and see what happens.
Susan
July 4, 2024 at 9:53 pm
Home Depot is a great store. I have an account with Home Depot.
Tom Mitchell
July 5, 2024 at 4:55 am
I remember from the last century- HFC is also dangerous to our ozone layer.
jackie
July 5, 2024 at 10:40 am
You know, with all the hyperbole about climate chaos and people being the culprit of everything under the sun, I am having trouble believing that these hydroflourocarbons are as bad as they want us to think. As far as I’m concerned it’s a hoax along with everything else. A money grab by the government.
EUGEN
July 5, 2024 at 12:57 pm
WE LOVE HOME DEPOT. BEST STORE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE JUST WISH WE HAD LAW AND ORDER, ALL THESE CRIMINALS STEALING WITHOUT GOING TO JAIL. EVERY STORE OWNER IS GETTING ROBBED BLIND. BUT OUR GOVERNMENT CLOSES THEIR EYES.
Steven
July 6, 2024 at 3:51 pm
Washington is prohibiting AC.
Note: R-34a IS NOT the refrigerant accused of harming Ozone. It is the refrigerant mandated to REPLACE R-12 because it is accused of harming ozone.
Michael Hunt
July 8, 2024 at 2:01 pm
Stop selling stuff in Washington and other liberal states that are trying to regulate life. See how they do without any products to sell and TAX!