A 35-year-old Columbus, Ohio, man recently pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the Clean Air Act after law enforcement officers witnessed him cutting a refrigerant line on an air conditioning unit and illegally venting hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22, also known as R-22, into the atmosphere. Martin C. Eldridge III now faces 31 months in federal prison for releasing the refrigerant, which is currently being phased out of production in the U.S. due to its threat to the earth’s ozone layer.
While Eldridge’s conviction seems to be an isolated incident, many are hoping it is a sign the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be cracking down on individual violations across the country.