The Ozone-Depleting The 2020 HCFC Allocation Substances Phaseout: 2020-2030 and Other Updates The EPA regulates the production and import of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) under Title VI of the Clean Air Act. Through this final rule, the EPA is issuing HCFC allowances for 2020 through 2029 for HCFC-123 and HCFC-124, leading up to a complete phaseout of all HCFCs in 2030. The EPA is also updating other requirements under the program for controlling production and consumption (i.e. import) of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Consumption and Production Allowance Allocations Starting in 2020, production and import of all HCFCs in the United States will be less than 0.5 percent of initial amounts. Newly- produced or imported HCFCs may only be used to service air- conditioning (AC), refrigeration, and fire suppression equipment that was manufactured before January 1, 2020. HCFC-123 HCFC-123 may be imported for servicing AC, refrigeration, and fire suppression equipment. The amounts of HCFC-123 that may be imported will decrease over time. HCFC-124: HCFC-124: HCFC-124 may be produced and imported for servicing AC and refrigeration equipment. The amounts of HCFC-124 that may be produced and imported will decrease over time. About HCFC-22 HCFC-22, commonly referred to as R- 22 or Freon, is used as a refrigerant in many applications, including residential AC systems. Starting on January 1, 2020, U.S. production and import of HCFC-22 will end. The EPA does not require the premature retirement of equipment and there is no ban on the continued use of existing HCFC-22 systems. You may continue to use recovered and reclaimed (e.g., recycled to required purity standards) or stockpiled HCFC-22 in your existing system for as long as needed. Many non-ozone-depleting alternatives to HCFC-22 are also available if retrofitting an existing appliance, provided that the equipment is designed for use of alternatives. For a list of alternatives, visit www.eDa.aov/snap. Table 1 - Final HCFC-123 and HCFC-124 Allowance Allocation, 2020 through 2030 (metric tons) 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 HCFC-123 Consumption 650 650 650 570 490 410 330 250 170 90 0 Production 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 HCFC-124 Consumption 200 200 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 25 0 Production 200 200 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 25 0 HCFC-123 Chiller Exemption While generally no new refrigeration or AC appliances can be installed using HCFC-123, this rule provides flexibility until December 31, 2020 to manufacture certain chillers that were already on the construction site for installation in 2019 but where the work has not yet been completed. ------- Updating the Label on Containers of Fire Suppression Agent Labels on cylinders of fire suppression agent containing HCFC-123 must indicate whether it can be used to service existing fire suppression systems or be allowed to manufacture new systems. Requiring Electronic Reporting To improve the accuracy and reduce the burden of reporting data, reports and import petitions must now be sent to the EPA electronically. Streamlining the Import of Used Halons Halons were phased out in 1994 but remain vitally important for some fire suppression uses in aircraft. This rule eases the requirements to import used halon when the source is a government operated or authorized halon bank. The rule also exempts Halon 1211 in aircraft halon bottles from the import petition process. Facilitating Destruction of ODS Destroying ODS prevents these compounds from entering the atmosphere where they can damage stratospheric ozone. This rule creates a new streamlined process for importing ODS into the United States for destruction and expands the list of approved destruction technologies. Methyl Bromide Certifications In response to the misapplications of methyl bromide the EPA is prohibiting the sale of quarantine and preshipment (QPS) methyl bromide for non-QPS uses and extending a recordkeeping requirement to all mid- level distributors of methyl bromide. Prohibiting the Sale of Illegally Imported ODS To guard against illegally imported ODS, the EPA is prohibiting the sale of any ODS that has been imported into the United States without consumption allowances or is otherwise not subject to an exemption. Banning Polyurethane Foam Systems Containing Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) In light of recent reports of unexpected emissions and potential illegal production of CFCs in China, the EPA is prohibiting the import or sale of polyurethane foam systems containing CFCs. Limiting Inter-pollutant Transfers To align with existing regulations that prohibit the production and import of phased out HCFCs, in particular HCFC-22, the EPA is expressly prohibiting inter-pollutant allowance transfers into phased out ODS. Additional Resources The EPA's ODS Phaseout Page: https://www.epa.aov/ods-phaseout Information on the ODS Phaseout for Equipment Owners and Operators: https://www.epa.aov/ods-phaseout/information-eauipment-owners-and-operators December 2019 ------- |