U.S COAST GUARD, SECTOR COLUMBIA RIVER

“Guardians of the Pacific Northwest”

Sector Columbia River Response Missions (search and rescue, law enforcement, environmental protection, and support for other units) are carried out from Warrenton, OR.

Sector Columbia River Prevention Missions (marine safety, vessel inspection, aids to navigation support, and waterways management) are managed by Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Portland located in Portland, OR.

FM-200 FIRE EXTINGUISHING AGENT PHASEDOWN

On December 27, 2020, Congress authorized the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (AIM Act) to combat climate change by having stricter regulatory requirements on ozone depleting compounds. Specifically, the AIM Act directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to incrementally decrease the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 85% of current levels over a fifteen year period ending in 2035.

Why is this important for our maritime partners? The FM-200 fire suppression systems frequently seen in our vessel fleet use an HFC (HFC-227ea, or heptafluouropropane) as the “clean” extinguishing agent. The new mandate to reduce production and use of HFCs such as FM-200, will undoubtedly lead to future supply shortages, increase maintenance costs, and limited technician availability for repairs throughout the phasedown period. It is important to note that the AIM Act does not prevent the use of the FM-200 product; vessels currently equipped with such systems should feel confident to use them in case of a fire emergency.

EPA approved alternative fire suppression systems currently include clean agent NOVEC 1230, inert gas, water, or carbon dioxide, just as a few examples. If a vessel operator would like to switch from FM200 to a different fire suppression system, it is critical that the agent is Coast Guard approved and all plans are submitted to your local USCG Officer In Charge, Marine Inspections. For our local area, you can send everything to the Domestic Inspection email inbox: PDXInspect@uscg.mil

For additional amplifying information please refer to the attached MSIB 06-22, which will provide further details regarding the FM-200 phasedown. As always, we at MSU Portland are ready and available to answer any industry questions regarding this or any other concern that our maritime partners may have.

2023 Meeting

Calendar d b

January 11, 2023: Virtual Meeting March 8, 2023: Virtual Meeting May 10, 2023: Hybrid Meeting TBD

July 12, 2023: Virtual Meeting

September 13, 2023: Hybrid Meeting MSU Portland November 8, 2023: Virtual Meeting a c

Board of Directors : 1330-1405 hrs General Membership: 1415-1530 hrs