Imports of Unlawful Refrigerants Threaten US Industry, Says HFC Coalition
Department of Commerce investigates imported refrigerants
On June 18, 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated several investigations to determine whether imports of Chinese HFCs were circumventing the 2016 antidumping duty order on HFC blends. Since 2016, importers have begun blending Chinese HFC components, including R-125, R-32, R-134a, and R-143a, in third countries and in the United States. Importers have also begun importing blends that do not meet ASHRAE specifications and completing those blends in the United States by adding small amounts of HFC components to bring the blends in specification. The U.S. Department of Commerce's initiation notices signal that it will investigate all of these efforts to circumvent U.S. law and evade antidumping duties.
The U.S. Department of Commerce initiated investigations with respect to Chinese HFC components that are blended in the United States, Chinese and Indian HFCs that are blended in India, imports of a patented HFC blend that are converted into a standard (non-patented) product after importation, and imports of semi-finished blends that are finished in the U.S. to meet industry standards. The U.S. Department of Commerce's action follows several requests by domestic and foreign parties for rulings to clarify the scope of the antidumping duty order.