In October, the Supreme Court decided not to review the case, leaving in place the 2017 ruling, which means for now, the use of high-GWP refrigerants, such as R-404A and R-410A, remains legal.
To recap, earlier this year, refrigerant manufacturers, Honeywell and Chemours, asked the Supreme Court to review an August 2017 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which stated the EPA could not ban HFCs through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, because that program was designed only to address ozone-depleting substances. While HFCs are among the greenhouse gases suspected of contributing to climate change, they do not deplete the ozone layer.
As rink owners look to shift away from R-22 — a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) that is widely used in ice rinks across the U.S. and Canada — they face the challenge of selecting an alternative refrigerant that delivers equivalent capacity and proven performance but without disrupting rink operations. New production of R-22 will cease at the end of 2019.
Earlier this year, refrigerant manufacturers, Honeywell and Chemours, asked the Supreme Court to review an August 2017 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which stated the EPA could not ban HFCs through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, because that program was designed only to address ozone-depleting substances.
Refrigerant manufacturers, Honeywell and The Chemours Co., have asked the Supreme Court to review a 2017 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which stated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could not ban HFCs through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program
August decision ignored original directive, intent of EPA, companies say
October 4, 2017
The Chemours Co. and Honeywell have filed a petition for rehearing of an appeals court’s decision concerning the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA’s) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program.
In addition, XP40 (R-449A) and XP10 (R-513A) receive expanded use approvals
August 2, 2017
The Chemours Co. has announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, has listed the low global-warming potential (GWP) refrigerant Opteon™ XP44 (R-452A) as acceptable for use in new and retrofit equipment for refrigerated transport and remote condensing units used in retail food refrigeration.
Three main, key issues that impacted most contractors, manufacturers, distributors, and organizations included the 92 percent mandate, regional standards enforcement, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) refrigeration alternatives.