Brad Kivlan, Author at Dynatemp International

EPA Publishes New Venting Rules; Isobutane and Propane must be recovered from appliances

May 25, 2014- This is a summary of the EPA’s Revision of the Venting Prohibition for Specific Refrigerant Substitutes.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, the Agency) is amending the regulations promulgated as part of the National Recycling and Emission Reduction Program under section 608 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is amending those regulations to exempt certain refrigerant substitutes, listed as acceptable subject to use conditions in regulations promulgated as part of EPA’s Significant New Alternative Policy program under section 612 of the Act, from the prohibition under section 608 on venting, release or disposal on the basis of current evidence that their venting, release or disposal does not pose a threat to the environment. Specifically, EPA is exempting from the venting prohibition isobutane (R-600a) and R-441A, as refrigerant substitutes in household refrigerators, freezers, and combination refrigerators and freezers, and propane (R-290), as a refrigerant substitute in retail food refrigerators and freezers (stand-alone units only).Click Here for Final Rule

R134a Dumping Affirmed by ITA; Antidumping duty is likely.

May 22, 2014, Excerpts from FACT SHEET: Commerce Preliminarily Finds Dumping of Imports of (R134a) from the People’s Republic of China published by the International Trade Administration (ITA)-

The Department of Commerce announced its affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of imports of HFC-R134a from China. For the purposes of this determination, dumping is said to occur when a foreign company sells a product in the United States at less than its fair value. As a result of the preliminary affirmative determination, Department of Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits based on preliminary rates.

The Commerce Department is expected to announce its final determination on October 3, 2014. Should an affirmative determination be made, The Commerce Department will issue an antidumping duty order and make “final injury determinations” in November 2014.Click Here for Fact Sheet distributed by the ITA

Congress Urges EPA to Accelerate Phase-down of R-22

WASHINGTON, DC (February 21, 2014)- Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) and Senator Chris Murphy (Connecticut) led their colleagues in a letter to Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), calling on EPA to take more aggressive action to cut down on production of an industrial “super pollutant” that does 1,800 times more damage to the climate that carbon dioxide. The letter was signed by 17 Senators and 24 Members of the House of Representatives.

In December, EPA unveiled a new proposal to reduce production of HCFC-22, a refrigerant chemical that’s also a potent greenhouse gas. HCFCs — hydrochlorofluorocarbons — are currently being phased-down under the Montreal Protocol, a Reagan-era treaty to end the use of chemicals that harm the ozone layer. HCFCs are used in refrigerators, air-conditioning systems, and foam blowers.

The consensus among the letter’s signatories is that EPA’s initial proposal will still allow far too much new HCFC-22 to be produced, on top of a substantial existing stockpile of the environmentally harmful chemical.

The text and signatories of the letter can be seen here.

China Issues Anti-Dumping Ruling

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA-(February 17, 2014) –

China’s Ministry of Commerce of Import and Export Fair Trade Bureau made a preliminary ruling regarding possible violations to their anti-dumping regulations. Authorities initially ruled that imports of PCE (Perchlorethylene or Tetrachloroethylene) originating in the EU and the United States, has damaged China’s PCE industry.

As of February 18, 2014, Chinese importers of PCEs will be required to pay security deposits to the People’s Republic of China Customs. PCEs are used in the manufacturing of R-123, R-124, and R-125 refrigerants. These refrigerants are used in refrigerant blends such as R-404A, R-407A and R-407C.

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