Martin C. Eldridge III now faces 31 months in federal prison for releasing the refrigerant, which is currently being phased out of production in the U.S. due to its threat to the earth’s ozone layer.
Charlie McCrudden, senior vice president of government relations at ACCA, discusses the hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22 phaseout, how it could affect HVACR contractors, how alternative refrigerants may be affected in the future, and what the industry needs to do to stay on top of the changes.
When it comes to refrigerants, the HVACR industry is warily watching the EPA, federal courts, global market place, and Obama administration. Here, as of June 2, is how things look.
Well, the adventures of HCFC-22 have certainly gotten interesting. For seemingly forever, we’ve known the final phaseout for the production and importation of R-22 was going to be Dec. 31, 2019. But then the EPA called for a more aggressive reduction, set to end in 2018. Then, some industry folks entered into the fray this year.
New Era Group Inc. announced that it has filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia over a ruling issued in mid-2013 allowing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue to allow production and importation of HCFC-22 refrigerant.
What has changed over the past 25 years or so is the recovery equipment, and the latest generation of such equipment is a considerable improvement over that of the first generation.