The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final rule, announced July 2 and published in the Federal Register on July 20 (Federal Register Vol. 80 No. 138, July 20, 2015, 42870-42959), will — among other things — change the listing for certain refrigerants used for retail food refrigeration. The three main categories of equipment affected by the rule are stand-alone equipment, remote condensing units, and supermarket systems. The new rule has eliminated some uncertainty in the refrigerants industry because many were wondering what the EPA was going to do. Now we know.
The new rule is a part of the EPA’s efforts to reduce emissions by 26 to 31 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020. In addition, the EPA could achieve more emission reductions if Section 608 of the Clean Air Act is extended to put HFCs under the willful venting rules, and if people take measures to control leaks during the equipment’s lifetime and properly perform recovery and reclamation at the end of life.