What: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing changes to regulations that restrict the use of particular hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Technology Transitions section of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020.
Why: The rule addresses topics raised by administrative petitions for reconsideration and other requests. Specifically, the EPA is proposing to:
- Change two aspects of intermodal refrigerated transport provisions to adjust the lower bound temperature exclusion threshold of 50°C to 35°C and change the location where that temperature is measured.
- Extend the compliance date for certain chillers used for industrial process refrigeration and certain industrial process refrigeration equipment used to manufacture semiconductors from January 1, 2026, and January 1, 2028, as applicable, to January 1, 2030.
- Reject a requested change to the treatment of certain condensing units used to replace existing condensing units in the residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump (AC/HP) subsector.
- Adjust the global warming potential (GWP) threshold for supermarket systems from 150 or 300 to 1,400 starting January 1, 2027, with a later adjustment to a GWP threshold of 150 or 300, depending on charge size or whether it is part of the high temperature side of a cascade system, starting January 1, 2032.
- Adjust the GWP threshold for cold storage warehouses from 150 or 300 to 700 starting January 1, 2026, with a later adjustment to a GWP threshold of either 150 or 300, depending on charge size or whether it is part of the high temperature side of a cascade system, starting January 1, 2032.
- Extend the compliance date for certain industrial process refrigeration laboratory equipment to January 1, 2028.
- Remove the installation deadline for systems in the residential and light commercial AC/HP subsector, where all specified components of such systems were manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025.
The EPA is also seeking advance comments on potential actions to address supply chain issues for a refrigerant blend.
Action: Comments are due November 17, 2025. If a public hearing is requested on or before October 8, 2025, the EPA will hold a virtual public hearing on October 20, 2025.
Is your small business or entity being impacted by a proposed rule? If yes, write a comment letter to the proposing agency.