Policy
NEW PROPOSED RULE On September 1, the EPA held a stakeholder meeting to discuss its next proposed SNAP rule on refrigerants, which is in the early stages of development but will be proposed in 2016. The rule could include a listing of acceptable alternatives with use conditions as well as a listing of unacceptable alternatives “where risks cannot be mitigated sufficiently” because of flammability, toxicity, air quality impacts and climate effects,” said von dem Hagen; the latter group could include hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon blends in stationary and motor vehicle air conditioning. The proposed rule could also address later transition dates for refrigerants delisted in July than what was indicated in the final delisting rule. The rule could also apply the delisted refrigerants to additional end uses, such as chillers, refrigerated food processing and dispensing, household refrigerators and freezers, and cold storage warehouses. EPA’s next steps will also include expansion of SNAP’s acceptable alternatives and end uses, including a new SNAP notice for acceptable listings. In a GreenChill webinar held on October 6, Tom Land, manager of the EPA’s GreenChill program, noted that utility providers are starting to offer incentives for the use of low-GWP alternatives around the U.S. “They are working with the supermarket industry and trying to evaluate advanced refrigerants and provide incentives for these refrigerants,” he said, suggesting that industry attendees contact utility providers about possible incentive schemes.
NGOs PETITION EPA FOR MORE DELISTINGS Following the FMI E+SD Connference, at a White House-hosted meeting on Oct. 15, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announced a proposed rule updating several aspects of Section 608 of the Clean Air Act. The EPA plans to finalize this rule in 2016. AMONG THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO SECTION 608: »»Simplify, clarify and improve existing requirements. »»Expand the regulations to include HFCs. »»Reduce the leak trigger rate from 35% to 20%. »»Add leak repair verification procedures, including quarterly inspections for commercial refrigeration containing 500 or more pounds of refrigerant. As for the HCFC phaseout, last year the EPA announced that the final 2015-2019 R22 allocation would be about 75% below the total allowed under the Montreal Protocol. In 2016, noted von dem Hagen, R22 allocation would be approximately 20% below the 2015 allocation. As of January 1, 2020, no production or import of R22 will be allowed. HFCs have been a target of the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan. The EPA now plans to issue a proposed rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation and directing the government to purchase cleaner alternatives to high-GWP HFCs where feasible, use alternatives in the SNAP program and report on the use of HFCs. A final rule is expected in 2015, said von dem Hagen. JT + MG
Although the Environmental Protection Agency in July released a final rule under the SNAP program delisting a host of high-GWP HFC refrigerants, three NGOs petitioned the agency in October to delist these and other HFCs in a number of end uses not covered in the final rule. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD) filed one petition, while the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) filed another. The NRDC/ISGD petition asks the EPA to replace HFCs “with safer alternatives,” including natural refrigerants, in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, commercial water chillers, refrigerators, portable air conditioners, home air conditioners, commercial rooftop units, cold-storage warehouses and other applications. Among the HFCs being targeted by NRDC/ISGD: R134a, R410a, R404A and R507A. The phaseout dates range from 2017 to 2025. The petition singles out ending the use of R410A in residential and commercial air conditioning applications. The EIA’s petition covered a much larger range of end uses and high-GWP refrigerants than the NRDC/ISGD petition. Notably, EIA emphasized using natural refrigerants such as carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrocarbons as HFC alternatives far more than NRDC/IGSD did.
October 2015 Accelerate America
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