WASHINGTON - According to an announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States has submitted a proposal to adjust the Montreal Protocol, accelerating the phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). The proposal includes four elements to be considered individually or as a package:

1. Accelerating the phaseout date of HCFCs by 10 years;

2. Adding interim reduction steps;

3. Setting an earlier baseline;

4. Phasing out the most damaging HCFCs to the ozone layer as the first priority. (The EPA considers HCFC-22 one of the most damaging of the HCFCs.)

The EPA stated these proposals further U.S. efforts to address ozone layer protection, cleaner air, and climate change by calling on the global community to act more quickly in phasing out hydrochlorofluorocarbons.

For more information about the proposal, visit www.epa.gov/ozone/intpol/montprotocolamend.html.

Publication date: 03/19/2007