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.

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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

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