WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, received the Foreign Policy for America Foundation’s Legislative Achievement Award for his work to help ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, a global treaty to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs are super-polluting refrigerants that are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere.

“It’s an honor to accept this Legislative Achievement Award,” said Senator Carper. “In 2019, I teamed up with my Republican colleague, Senator John Neely Kennedy. Together, we introduced the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. Our bipartisan bill laid the groundwork for Kigali ratification—calling for an 85 percent reduction in HFCs over 15 years. In December 2020, we shepherded the legislation through a divided Congress and onto a Republican president’s desk, where it was signed into law.”

Carper continued: “Last year, we built upon that success and ratified Kigali in the Senate with 69 votes, reiterating our commitment to leading the fight against climate change. This victory wouldn’t have been possible without the coalition of the environmental and business community. In addition to avoiding nearly a half-degree Celsius in global warming, Kigali is expected to generate a nearly $40 billion investment in the U.S. economy by 2027 and create thousands of jobs in the process. That means lower costs to heat and cool our homes and a safer environment for future generations.”