EPA Issues Rule to Reduce Hydrofluorocarbon Emissions

On October 11, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule establishing an emissions reduction and reclamation program for the management of hydrofluorocarbons under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020. This includes "requirements for leak repair and installation and use of automatic leak detection systems for certain equipment using refrigerants containing hydrofluorocarbons and certain substitutes; the servicing and/or repair of certain refrigerant-containing equipment to be done with reclaimed hydrofluorocarbons; the initial installation and servicing and/or repair of fire suppression equipment to be done with recycled hydrofluorocarbons, technician training, and recycling of hydrofluorocarbons prior to the disposal of fire suppression equipment containing hydrofluorocarbons; removal of hydrofluorocarbons from disposable cylinders before discarding them; and certain recordkeeping, reporting, and labeling requirements." The rule also establishes “alternative Resource Conservation and Recovery Act standards for certain ignitable spent refrigerants being recycled for reuse.”