EPA Updates Clean Air Act Rules for Ozone-depleting Refrigerants

This week, US EPA posted a Final Rule to update and extend the Clean Air Act requirements for refrigerants that may be released during the use, maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of air conditioning or refrigeration equipment. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA prohibits persons from knowingly releasing ozone-depleting refrigerants or substitute refrigerants into the environment.

Read more: Managing Ozone-depleting Substances in Refrigerating Appliances (05/10/16)

Effective January 1, 2017, the new Clean Air Act Final Rule:

• Extends the Clean Air Act 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F management requirements for ozone-depleting refrigerants to also cover non-ozone depleting substances including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Bolsters the leak repair requirements,
• Adds recordkeeping requirements for disposal of appliances that contain more than 5 but less than 50 pounds of refrigerant,
• Revises the technician certification program
• Makes other non-substantive revisions and clarifications

EPA Enforcement of Clean Air Act Refrigerants Rules

EPA regularly fines facilities for failure to adequately control or prevent leaks from refrigeration equipment. Earlier this year, a major national grocery chain paid a $500,000 civil penalty for greenhouse gas releases from refrigeration equipment at 453 of its stores.
Also this year, a Massachusetts food processor was fined $119,000 for a leak of anhydrous ammonia from refrigeration equipment.

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Tags: Act, Air, Clean, EPA, new rules