At the December meeting of the California Air Resources Board, the board voted to approve the proposed regulation on hydrofluorocarbons that established a 150 GWP limit for new ice rinks and other types of large refrigeration systems in locations such as cold storage warehousing.

Based on the vote, the proposed regulation will be finalized mostly in its current form. Any changes CARB makes will have to be limited in scope and are called “15-day changes” which are tweaks to the proposed rule that will come out for a final 15-day public notice and comment period.

Christina Starr, EIA senior policy analyst, said she expects any 15-day changes on this HFC rulemaking to be unrelated to the ice rink sector and more focused on the air conditioning sector for manufacturers that are seeking an additional two-year time delay for making a refrigerant transition.

“The biggest takeaway is that the more than 80 percent of ice rinks that already use ammonia or CO2 would be smart to continue opting for these truly climate-friendly alternatives,” Starr said. “CARB’s decision signals that only refrigerants under 150 GWP should be considered ‘future-proof’ from a climate regulation perspective.”

Under the new regulation, the 150 GWP limit applies to new ice rinks, while a 750 GWP limit applies to existing rinks. Starr said it’s quite likely future regulations will expand this to existing rinks as well. “CARB was very clear in the hearing that this distinction is only because there are some very few counties where it could be more challenging for an existing rink that uses a higher-GWP refrigerant to switch to ammonia due to local permitting challenges,” Starr said.

Gary Schrift, president of IIAR, said any regulation in California that requires and promotes the use of natural refrigerants is a gain for our industry and will most likely expand the use of natural refrigerants. “We all know that often when California creates a regulation, other states follow, and often manufacturers and suppliers follow with their products designed to meet California requirements so that one does not have to have a California version and an ‘all other states’ version.”

Schrift said he was on a call with some Latin American IIAR chapter representatives recently who stated ‘we do what the USA does.’ “The USA often follows what California does, so it only seems likely that this decision will expand in the USA and Internationally,” he said.

“The growth and use of [refrigerants] is extraordinary around the world as developing countries improve their standard of living. Fortunately, there is a transition underway around the world to more climate-friendly refrigerants. It is important those of us in California do our part as we also move ahead with other chemicals as well.”

–Mary Nichols, then administrator of CARB

There was some pushback from HFO-HFC blend manufacturers against the 150 GWP limit for new rinks. One manufacturer voiced concern that some CO2 and ammonia refrigeration system designs are patented. “However, those patents do not limit the numerous design possibilities,” Schrift said, adding that the manufacturer expressing concern produces a patented refrigerant that can only be purchased or licensed from that company.

Starr said CARB’s staff responses to any concerns indicated the board stands by the technical feasibility of the proposal CARB approved. “There was also a strong showing by a number of industry stakeholders that support the 150 GWP limit,” she said. “There was no indication they plan to revisit this part of the regulation, though it’s still a slim possibility.”

Several proponents of low GWP refrigerants shared their thoughts during the meeting. “It was really encouraging at the hearing to see so much of the industry come out strongly in support of more ambitious yet feasible climate regulations that will reward the innovation and entrepreneurship of the companies that have made the most sustainable choices,” Starr said.

During the December meeting, Mary Nichols, then administrator of CARB, said HFCs are synthetic chemicals that are very powerful short-lived climate pollutants and present an immediate threat to the atmosphere.

“Refrigerants in particular are an overwhelming problem at this point. The growth and use of these chemicals is extraordinary around the world as developing countries improve their standard of living,” Nichols said. “Fortunately, there is a transition underway around the world to more climate-friendly refrigerants. It is important those of us in California do our part as we also move ahead with other chemicals as well.