A consulting firm attempting to speed up the phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22 has been dealt a setback as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied an appeal by New Era Group Inc. against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The denial, issued Oct. 3, is the most recent development in complex legal wrangling that dates back to 2013, when the New Era Group, a firm representing several refrigerant reclaimers, alternative refrigerant manufacturers, and refrigerant distributors, sought to stop the EPA from allowing production and importation of R-22 that year.