Overview

Honeywell engaged our team to address risks associated with proposed legislation that aimed to ban thousands of products containing intentionally added PFAS. The bill expanded the definition of PFAS beyond the federal EPA standard to include chemicals with more than one fully fluorinated carbon atom. This broader definition classified thousands of additional chemicals as PFAS, notably including low-global-warming-potential refrigerants developed by Honeywell. These refrigerants, which the EPA encouraged for their 99% lower Global Warming Potential, are part of the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP).

Our Work

We developed a comprehensive government relations strategy to address legislative risks, including robust government outreach, coalition-building within the business community and trade associations, and targeted engagement with environmental organizations to secure their support or neutrality. The outreach focused on educating key policy makers, including those in the Health/Driscoll Administration, the Department of Public Health, leadership in the Massachusetts House and Senate, and members and chairs of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health, about the safety and benefits of Honeywell’s refrigerants.

Results

The bill ultimately did not advance out of the House. During the committee process, however, the bill was amended to include a critical exemption and narrowed in scope to apply only to consumer products.