EPA Seeks to Modify Regulations Governing Use of HFCs for Certain Sectors
EPA plans to modify the regulations governing the use of hydrofluorocarbons for certain industrial, intermodal and retail sectors as prescribed under the Technology Transitions section of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020, it said in a Federal Register notice. Comments on the proposed changes are due Nov. 17.
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The affected sectors or goods would include intermodal refrigerated transport, chillers used for industrial process refrigeration including refrigeration equipment used to manufacture semiconductors, condensing units in the residential and light commercial air conditioning (AC) and heat pump (AC/HP) subsector, remote condensing units used in the retail food industry, cold storage warehouses used in the cold storage industry and industrial process refrigeration laboratory equipment.
Many of the changes involve changing thresholds or extending the period when goods must fall into compliance. The proposed changes would allow "previously manufactured and imported residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump equipment to continue to be installed," according to the EPA. They also address issues raised in petitions from companies and trade associations that work with refrigerated transport and equipment, such as intermodal containers, industrial process refrigeration and chillers for industrial process refrigeration used in semiconductor manufacturing, retail food refrigeration systems for remote condensing units and supermarkets, cold storage warehouses, refrigerated laboratory centrifuges, laboratory shakers, and condensing units in residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pumps.
The petitions from the companies and trade groups requested that EPA reconsider certain provisions of the regulations restricting the use of HFCs that were finalized in October 2023 (see 2310240040).