Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Listing of Substitutes Under the Significant New Alternatives Policy Program in Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration

<RULE> ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY <CFR>40 CFR Part 82</CFR> <DEPDOC>[EPA-HQ-OAR-2023-0043; FRL-10125-02-OAR]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 2060-AV77</RIN> <SUBJECT>Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Listing of Substitutes Under the Significant New Alternatives Policy Program in Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> Pursuant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Significant New Alternatives Policy program, this action lists several substitutes as acceptable, subject to use conditions, for retail food refrigeration, commercial ice machines, industrial process refrigeration, cold storage warehouses, and ice skating rinks. Through this action, EPA is incorporating by reference standards which establish requirements for commercial refrigerating appliances and commercial ice machines, safe use of flammable refrigerants, and safe design, construction, installation, and operation of refrigeration systems. This action also exempts propane, in the refrigerated food processing and dispensing end-use, from the prohibition under the Clean Air Act (CAA) on knowingly venting, releasing, or disposing of substitute refrigerants in the course of maintaining, servicing, repairing or disposing of an appliance or industrial process refrigeration, as the Administrator is determining, on the basis of existing evidence, that such venting, release, or disposal of this substance in this end-use does not pose a threat to the environment. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This rule is effective July 15, 2024. The incorporation by reference of certain material listed in the rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of July 15, 2024. The incorporation by reference of certain other material listed in the rule was approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of February 21, 2012 (76 FR 78832), May 11, 2015 (79 FR 19454), and January 3, 2017 (81 FR 86778). </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2023-0043. All documents in the docket are listed on the <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E> website. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, <E T="03">e.g.,</E> Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available electronically through <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E> or in hard copy at the Air and Radiation Docket, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460. The Docket Center's hours of operations are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday (except Federal Holidays). For further information on EPA Docket Center services and the current status, please visit <E T="03">https://www.epa.gov/dockets.</E> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Perrin Krisko, Stratospheric Protection Division, Office of Atmospheric Protection (Mail Code 6205A), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-2328; email address: <E T="03">krisko.claudia@epa.gov.</E> Notices and rulemakings under EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program are available on EPA's SNAP website at <E T="03">https://www.epa.gov/snap/snap-regulations.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. General information</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Executive Summary and Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Does this action apply to me?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. What acronyms and abbreviations are used in the preamble?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. What is EPA finalizing in this action?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Retail Food Refrigeration—Listing of HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze(E), R-454C, R-455A, R-457A, and R-516A as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Stand-Alone Units, Remote Condensing Units, Supermarket Systems, and Refrigerated Food Processing and Dispensing Equipment and Listing of R-454A as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Remote Condensing Units and Supermarket Systems</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Background on Retail Food Refrigeration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. What are the ASHRAE classifications for refrigerant flammability?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. What are HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze(E), R-454A, R-454C, R-455A, R-457A, and R-516A and how do they compare to other refrigerants in the same end-use?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Why is EPA finalizing these specific use conditions?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. What additional information is EPA including in these listings?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. How is EPA responding to comments on retail food refrigeration?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Retail Food Refrigeration—Listing R-290 as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Refrigerated Food Processing and Dispensing Equipment and Revision of the Use Conditions Provided in the Previous Listings of R-290 as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Stand-Alone Units</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Background on Retail Food Refrigeration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. What are the ASHRAE classifications for refrigerant flammability?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. What is R-290 and how does it compare to other refrigerants in the refrigerated food processing and dispensing equipment end-use category?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Why is EPA finalizing these specific use conditions for refrigerated food processing and dispensing equipment?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. How does the listing for R-290 in refrigerated food processing and dispensing equipment relate to regulations implementing the venting prohibition under CAA section 608?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. What existing use conditions apply to this refrigerant in the stand-alone units end-use category?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. What updates to existing use conditions for stand-alone units is EPA finalizing?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">8. How do the new use conditions for R-290 in stand-alone units differ from the existing ones and why is EPA changing the use conditions?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">9. What additional information is EPA including in these listings?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">10. How is EPA responding to comments on listing R-290 in refrigerated food processing and dispensing equipment and updating the use conditions for R-290 in stand-alone units?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Commercial Ice Machines—Listing of HFC-32, HFO-1234yf, R-454A, R-454B, R-454C, R-455A, R-457A, and R-516A as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Commercial Ice Machines</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Background on Commercial Ice Machines</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. What are the ASHRAE classifications for refrigerant flammability?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. What are HFC-32, HFO-1234yf, R-454A, R-454B, R-454C, R-455A, R-457A, and R-516A and how do they compare to other refrigerants in the same end-use?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Why is EPA finalizing these specific use conditions?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. What additional information is EPA including in these listings?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. How is EPA responding to comments on commercial ice machines?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Commercial Ice Machines—Revision of the Use Conditions in the Previous Listing of R-290 as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Self-Contained Commercial Ice Machines</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Background on Commercial Ice Machines</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. What are the ASHRAE classifications for refrigerant flammability?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. What is R-290 and where is there information on its use in this end-use?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. What existing use conditions apply to this refrigerant in this end-use?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. What updates to existing use conditions for commercial ice machines is EPA finalizing?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. How do the new use conditions for commercial ice machines differ from the existing ones and why is EPA changing the use conditions?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> 7. What additional information is EPA including in this listing? </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">8. How is EPA responding to comments on listing R-290 and updating the use conditions for R-290 in self-contained commercial ice machines?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Industrial Process Refrigeration—Listing of HFC-32, HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze(E), R-454A, R-454B, R-454C, R-455A, R-457A, and R-516A as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Industrial Process Refrigeration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Background on Industrial Process Refrigeration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. What are the ASHRAE classifications for refrigerant flammability?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. What are HFC-32, HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze(E), R-454A, R-454B, R-454C, R-455A, R-457A, and R-516A and how do they compare to other refrigerants in the same end-use?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Why is EPA finalizing these specific use conditions?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. What additional information is EPA including in these listings?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. How is EPA responding to comments on industrial process refrigeration?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Cold Storage Warehouses—Listing of HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze(E), R-454A, R-454C, R-455A, R-457A, and R-516A as Acceptable, Subject to Use Conditions, for Use in New Cold Storage Warehouses</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Background on Cold Storage Warehouses</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. What are the ASHRAE classifications for ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 570k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━