The next U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy Environmental Roundtable will meet virtually to discuss the following topics, beginning at 1 PM. on January 20, 2023. The meeting will be held using the Microsoft Teams platform.
Send your RSVP to David Rostker at David.Rostker@sba.gov. A meeting link will be provided to you when you RSVP.
Agenda
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
EPA Proposed Rule on Restrictions on Certain Uses of HFCs
Erin Birgfeld, EPA Office of Air and Radiation
Roundtable meetings are open to all interested persons and are intended to facilitate an open and frank discussion about issues of interest to small business. These meetings are off the record and not intended for press purposes. Direct quotations of presenters or attendees may not be used without direct written approval of the person(s) making the statement. All press inquiries should be sent to Emily Williams at Emily.Williams@sba.gov. Agendas and presentations are available to all.
EPA Proposed Rule on Restrictions on Certain Uses of HFCs
On December 27, 2020, the President signed the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,” which includes the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (AIM Act). The AIM Act directs EPA to establish a regulatory framework for phasing down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) over a fifteen-year period. HFCs are targeted because they are a highly potent greenhouse gas.
In addition, a statutory phase-down, the AIM Act gave EPA authority to restrict uses of HFCs. On December 15, 2022, EPA published the first proposed rule under this authority. EPA is proposing to restrict the use of certain higher-GWP HFCs in aerosols, foams, and refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump products and equipment. The proposed rule would prohibit manufacture and import of products containing restricted HFCs by January 1, 2025, in most cases, and would prohibit the sale, distribution, and export of products containing restricted HFCs a year later, which in most cases would be January 1, 2026.
Comments on the proposed rule are due January 29, 2023.