Kroger has settled its alleged Clean Air Act violations at its grocery stores nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The company will spend over $100 million in the next three years to reduce coolant leaks on equipment company-wide and also pay a $2.5 million civil penalty.
Kroger’s refrigerators and other equipment contribute to depleting the ozone layer
Kroger failed to promptly fix refrigerators leaking R-22 coolant, a powerful ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbon that can deplete Earth’s ozone layer and cause harmful effects from solar radiation, between 2014 and 2023, according to the DOJ. The department alleges Kroger also failed to maintain adequate refrigeration service records.
A damaged ozone layer can lead to dangerous increases in the amount of ultraviolet solar radiation that reaches Earth, which can cause skin cancers and cataracts.
The company will spend $100 million over the next three years to improve its company-wide compliance with rules protecting the Earth’s ozone layer and to reduce leaks from its equipment.
Kroger CEO Greg Foran present as Trump rolls back environmental regulations on refrigerants
Greg Foran, the CEO of Cincinnati-based Kroger, joined President Donald Trump on May 21, 2026, for an Oval Office announcement rolling back environmental regulations, in a push the White House claims will lower grocery costs for consumers.
The regulations targeted by the Trump administration were two Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency rules for refrigerants.
One action delays deadlines for groceries and other companies to phase out the use of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons for refrigeration under the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule. Another action took steps to amend the EPA’s 2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation program to exempt all road refrigerant appliances used to transport goods from new leak requirements for hydrofluorocarbons.
Kroger allegedly violates the Clean Air Act, to pay settlement
The Kroger Company will pay a $2.5 million civil penalty, which resolves its alleged Clean Air Act violations at grocery stores nationwide.
“Compliance with the Clean Air Act protects human health,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said, according to the DOJ website. “Fixing leaks of ozone-depleting refrigerants makes a real difference in protecting all Americans from the harmful effects of solar radiation.”
If the settlement reaches court, Kroger will be required to update or replace 600 large commercial refrigeration systems at its stores. The company must also enforce a refrigerant management system that can prevent and repair coolant leaks.
The proposed settlement is open to public comment through June 5, 2026, according to the DOJ website.
USA Today reached out to The Kroger Company for comment but had received a response at 11 a.m. on June 2.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: DOJ says Kroger will spend $100 million on refrigerator fixes, pay fine
Reporting by Mariyam Muhammad, USA TODAY NETWORK / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
