ShareUnited States: latest news on HFC regulations
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has restored restrictions on the transition from ozone-depleting substances to high GWP HFCs.
In 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) included certain high GWP refrigerants such as R404A or R134a in the "SNAP" (Significant New Alternatives Policy) program. For example, some companies with large refrigeration facilities - such as hypermarkets - were prohibited from transitioning from ozone-depleting substances to high GWP HFCs.
In 2017, Mexichem and Arkema filed an appeal challenging these EPA guidelines, and the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the complainants (see IIR news of December 11, 2017).
In 2018, the EPA decided to completely remove this ban, which theoretically implied that the companies concerned could make transitions between ozone-depleting substances and high GWP HFCs.
On April 7, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia restored the original 2015 ban.
More information on the Cooling Post website.