In December 2020, Congress passed the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, which gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to phase down HFCs to 15% of their baseline levels by 2036. EPA subsequently created a final rule, which was released in September 2021, that establishes the HFC production and consumption baselines from which reductions must be made; codifies the phasedown schedule; and establishes an initial methodology for issuing allowances for 2022 and 2023.
EPA’s final rule also included a ban on non-refillable (also known as disposable or single use) refrigerant cylinders starting in 2025. Several industry associations and a cylinder manufacturer believe this is an overreach on the part of the EPA and have filed petitions asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn the ban.