EPA Stakeholder meeting is scheduled for March 16, 2023 

EPA is holding a stakeholder meeting on Thursday, March 16 at 11am (EDT) on the reclamation of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) in the United States. This meeting is being held pursuant to EPA’s responsibilities under the AIM Act of 2020. 

AIM Act

The agency intends to propose new requirements under subsection (h), “Management of Regulated Substances,” of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. This is an opportunity for reclaimers and other interested stakeholders to provide feedback on potential or existing barriers or challenges to maximizing HFC reclaim. 

If you attended the MACS 2023 Training Event and Trade Show back in February in Nashville, and attended the General Session meeting on Friday morning, then you may remember this topic was discussed with EPA. Of course, many MACS members had comments about the proposal, including how this will affect shops with respect to recovery, recycling and recharging mobile A/C systems. Others had questions about how recovering and recycling refrigerants will change for those who perform service on construction and agricultural machinery in the field (without the use of a “charge cart”, but rather with a portable recovery-only machine and a recovery cylinder). 

The AIM Act authorizes EPA to address hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in three main ways: phasing down HFC production and consumption, promulgating certain regulations for the purposes of maximizing reclamation and minimizing releases of HFCs and their substitutes from equipment, and facilitating the transition to next-generation technologies through sector-based restrictions. Among other provisions, subsection (h) authorizes EPA to establish certain requirements for management of certain HFCs and their substitutes. Specifically, subsection (h) directs the Agency to establish regulations to control, where appropriate, practices, processes, or activities regarding the servicing, repair, disposal, or installation of equipment, for purposes of maximizing the reclamation and minimizing the release of certain HFCs from equipment and ensuring the safety of technicians and consumers. Subsection (h) also provides for the Agency to consider options to increase opportunities for reclaiming HFCs used as refrigerants and potential approaches to coordinate regulations carrying out subsection (h) of the AIM Act with similar EPA regulations, such as the refrigerant management program established under Title VI of the Clean Air Act. 

How to get involved

Please follow this link to register:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/us-epa-stratospheric-protection-division-32457794183

If you have any questions or comments, you can reach out to Steve Schaeber, MACS technical editor and manager of service training at sschaeber@macsmobileairclimate.org 

You can also reach out to Peter Coll, MACS president at pcoll@macsmobileairclimate.org 

Thank you to our MACS members for your support!