The national grocery store chain Trader Joe's Company has agreed to reduce emissions of potent greenhouse gases from refrigeration equipment at 453 of its stores under a proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. Under the settlement, Trader Joe's will spend an estimated $2 million over the next three years to reduce coolant leaks from refrigerators and other equipment and improve company-wide compliance. The total estimated greenhouse gas emissions reductions from this settlement are equal to the amount from over 6,500 passenger vehicles driven in one year, the CO2 emissions from 33 million pounds of coal burned, or the carbon sequestered by 25,000 acres of forests in one year. The company will also pay a $500,000 civil penalty.
Trader Joe�s provided to the United States a Request for Termination in which Trader Joe�s states and documents that it has satisfied the injunctive relief requirements of the Consent Decree set forth in Section VI of the Decree, has complied with all other requirements of the Decree, and has paid the civil penalty as required by the Decree. This consent decree has been terminated as of 9/9/2022.