Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Reconsideration of Certain Regulatory Requirements Promulgated Under the Technology Transitions Provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY <CFR>40 CFR Part 84</CFR> <DEPDOC>[EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005; FRL-12166-01-OAR]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 2060-AW39</RIN> <SUBJECT>Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Reconsideration of Certain Regulatory Requirements Promulgated Under the Technology Transitions Provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Proposed rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing changes to regulations promulgated under the Technology Transitions section of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020, which authorizes the Administrator to restrict the use of particular hydrofluorocarbons in the sectors and subsectors in which they are used. This proposal addresses administrative petitions and other requests from companies and trade associations across a number of subsectors, including refrigerated transport—intermodal containers, industrial process refrigeration and chillers for industrial process refrigeration used in semiconductor manufacturing, retail food refrigeration systems for remote condensing units and supermarkets, cold storage warehouses, refrigerated laboratory centrifuges, laboratory shakers, and condensing units in residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pumps. This action proposes to allow previously manufactured and imported residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump equipment to continue to be installed. The Agency is also seeking advance comment on potential actions to address supply chain issues for a refrigerant blend. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Comments must be received on or before November 17, 2025. <E T="03">Public hearing:</E> If a public hearing is requested on or before October 8, 2025, the EPA will hold a virtual public hearing on October 20, 2025. To request a public hearing, please submit a comment per the instructions in the <E T="02">ADDRESSES</E> section. Please refer to the <E T="02">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION</E> section for additional information on the public hearing. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> You may send comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005, by any of the following methods: • <E T="03">Federal eRulemaking Portal:</E> <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E> (our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. • <E T="03">Email:</E> <E T="03">a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov.</E> Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005 in the subject line of the message. • <E T="03">Mail:</E> U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460. • <E T="03">Hand Delivery or Courier:</E> EPA Docket Center, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket Center's hours of operations are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday (except Federal Holidays). <E T="03">Instructions:</E> All submissions received must include the Docket ID No. for this rulemaking. Comments received may be posted without change to <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov,</E> including personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the “I. Public Participation” heading of the <E T="02">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION</E> section of this document. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Joshua Silver, Stratospheric Protection Division, Office of Atmospheric Protection (Mail Code 6205A), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2473; email address: <E T="03">silver.joshua@epa.gov.</E> You may also visit the EPA's website at <E T="03">https://www.epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction</E> for further information. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> Throughout this document, whenever “we,” “us,” “the Agency,” or “our” is used, we mean the EPA. Acronyms that are used in this rulemaking that may be helpful include: <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">AC—Air Conditioning</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">AC/HP System—Air Conditioning and Heat Pump System</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">AHRI—Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">AIM Act—American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ANPRM—Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ASHRAE—American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">BTU—British Thermal Units</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CAA—Clean Air Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CBI—Confidential Business Information</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CFR—Code of Federal Regulations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> CO <E T="52">2</E> —Carbon Dioxide </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CUSER—Coalition for the Use of Safe and Efficient Refrigerants, Inc.</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EPA—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FMI—Food Industry Association</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FR—Federal Register</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">GWP—Global Warming Potential</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HARDI—Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HCFC—Hydrochlorofluorocarbon</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HFC—Hydrofluorocarbon</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HFO—Hydrofluoroolefin</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IPR—Industrial Process Refrigeration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ISO—International Organization for Standardization</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MCA—Maximum Credible Accident</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MMTEVe—Million Metric Tons of Exchange Value Equivalent</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NAICS—North American Industry Classification System</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OEM—Original Equipment Manufacturer</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PBI—Proprietary Business Information</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PFAS—Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SEMI—Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SMRE—Semiconductor Manufacturing and Related Equipment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SNAP—Significant New Alternatives Policy</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">UL—Underwriters Laboratories (formerly)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">U.S.C.—United States Code</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">VRF—Variable Refrigerant Flow</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Public Participation</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">A. Written Comments</HD> Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005, at <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E> (our preferred method), or the other methods identified in the <E T="02">ADDRESSES</E> section. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit to the docket at <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E> any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI), Proprietary Business Information (PBI), or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). Please visit <E T="03">https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets</E> for additional submission methods; the full EPA public comment policy; information about CBI, PBI, or multimedia submissions; and general guidance on making effective comments. <HD SOURCE="HD2">B. Participation in Virtual Public Hearing</HD> If a public hearing is requested on or before October 8, 2025, the EPA will post updates, including a link to register to attend the public hearing, at <E T="03">https://www.epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction/regulatory-actions-technology-transitions.</E> If a public hearing is requested, the EPA will begin pre-registering speakers for the hearing no later than one business day after a request has been received. To pre-register to speak at the virtual hearing, please contact Joshua Silver at <E T="03">silver.joshua@epa.gov.</E> Please note that any updates made to any aspect of the hearing are posted online at <E T="03">https://www.epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction/regulatory-actions-technology-transitions.</E> While the EPA expects the hearing to go forward as set forth above if one is requested within the indicated timeframe, please monitor our website or contact Joshua Silver to determine if there are any updates. The EPA does not intend to publish a document in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> announcing updates. <HD SOURCE="HD1">II. General Information</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">A. Does this action apply to me?</HD> You may be potentially affected by this rule if you manufacture, import, or use refrigerated transport intermodal containers, chillers and industrial process refrigeration equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors, retail food refrigeration equipment for remote condensing units and supermarkets, refrigeration systems in cold storage warehouses, refrigerated centrifuge equipment, refrigerated laboratory shakers, condensing units used for residential and light commercial air-conditioning and heat pumps, or residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems. Potentially affected categories, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, are: <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">• 236116; New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">• 236117; New Housing For-Sale Builders</FP> <FP ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 161k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━