[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 118 (Monday, June 19, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 37900-37903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15299]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 82
[FRL-6718-2]
Protection of Stratospheric Ozone
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of acceptability.
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SUMMARY: This document expands the list of acceptable substitutes for
ozone-depleting substances (ODS) under the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP)
program.
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 19, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Information relevant to this document is contained in Air
Docket A-91-42, Central Docket Section, South Conference Room 4, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC
20460, telephone: (202) 260-7548. The docket may be inspected between
8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays. As provided in 40 CFR part 2, a
reasonable fee may be charged for photocopying.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anhar Karimjee at (202) 564-2683 or
fax (202) 565-2095, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Stratospheric
Protection Division, Mail Code 6205J, Washington, DC 20460. Overnight
or courier deliveries should be sent to the office location at 501 3rd
Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001. The Stratospheric Protection Hotline
can be reached at (800) 296-1996. Further information can be found at
EPA's Ozone Depletion World Wide Web site at ``http://www.epa.gov/
ozone/title6/snap/''.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Section 612 Program
A. Statutory Requirements
B. Regulatory History
II. Listing of Acceptable Substitutes
A. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
B. Foam Blowing
III. Additional Information
Appendix A--Summary of Acceptable Decisions
I. Section 612 Program
A. Statutory Requirements
Section 612 of the Clean Air Act authorizes EPA to develop a
program for evaluating alternatives to ozone-depleting substances. EPA
refers to this program as the Significant New Alternatives Policy
(SNAP) program. The major provisions of section 612 are:
Rulemaking--Section 612(c) requires EPA to promulgate
rules making it unlawful to replace any class I (chlorofluorocarbon,
halon, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, methyl bromide, and
hydrobromofluorocarbon) or class II (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) substance
with any substitute that the Administrator determines may present
adverse effects to human health or the environment where the
Administrator has identified an alternative that (1) reduces the
overall risk to human health and the environment, and (2) is currently
or potentially available.
Listing of Unacceptable/Acceptable Substitutes--Section
612(c) also requires EPA to publish a list of the substitutes
unacceptable for specific uses. EPA must publish a corresponding list
of acceptable alternatives for specific uses.
Petition Process--Section 612(d) grants the right to any
person to petition EPA to add a substance to or delete a substance from
the lists published in accordance with section 612(c). The Agency has
90 days to grant or deny a petition. Where the Agency grants the
petition, EPA must publish the revised lists within an additional 6
months.
90-day Notification--Section 612(e) requires EPA to
require any person who produces a chemical substitute for a class I
substance to notify the Agency not less than 90 days before new or
existing chemicals are introduced into interstate commerce for
significant new uses as substitutes for a class I substance. The
producer must also provide the Agency with the producer's unpublished
health and safety studies on such substitutes.
Outreach--Section 612(b)(1) states that the Administrator
shall seek to maximize the use of federal research facilities and
resources to assist users of class I and II substances in identifying
and developing alternatives to the use of such substances in key
commercial applications.
Clearinghouse--Section 612(b)(4) requires the Agency to
set up a public clearinghouse of alternative chemicals, product
substitutes, and alternative manufacturing processes that are available
for products and manufacturing processes which use class I and II
substances.
B. Regulatory History
On March 18, 1994, EPA published rulemaking (59 FR 13044) which
described the process for administering the SNAP program and issued
EPA's first acceptability lists for substitutes in the major industrial
use sectors. These sectors include: refrigeration and air conditioning;
foam blowing; solvents cleaning; fire suppression and explosion
protection; sterilants; aerosols; adhesives, coatings and inks; and
tobacco expansion. These sectors compose the principal industrial
sectors that historically consumed the largest volumes of ozone-
depleting compounds.
As described in this original rule for the SNAP program, EPA does
not believe that rulemaking procedures are required to list
alternatives as acceptable with no limitations. Such listings do not
impose any sanction, nor do they remove any prior license to use a
substance. Consequently, by this notice EPA is adding substances to the
list of acceptable alternatives without first requesting comment on new
listings.
[[Page 37901]]
EPA does, however, believe that notice-and-comment rulemaking is
required to place any substance on the list of prohibited substitutes,
to list a substance as acceptable only under certain conditions, to
list substances as acceptable only for certain uses, or to remove a
substance from either the list of prohibited or acceptable substitutes.
Updates to these lists are published as separate notices of rulemaking
in the Federal Register.
The Agency defines a ``substitute'' as any chemical, product
substitute, or alternative manufacturing process, whether existing or
new, intended for use as a replacement for a class I or class II
substance. Anyone who produces a substitute must provide the Agency
with health and safety studies on the substitute at least 90 days
before introducing it into interstate commerce for significant new use
as an alternative. This requirement applies to substitute
manufacturers, but may include importers, formulators or end-users,
when they are responsible for introducing a substitute into commerce.
A complete chronology of SNAP decisions and the appropriate Federal
Register citations can be found at EPA's Ozone Depletion World Wide Web
site at http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/snap/chron.html. This
information is also available from the Air Docket (see Addresses
section above for contact information).
II. Listing of Acceptable Substitutes
This section presents EPA's most recent acceptable listing
decisions for substitutes in the refrigeration and foams sectors. For
copies of the full list of SNAP decisions in all industrial sectors,
contact the EPA Stratospheric Protection Hotline at (800) 296-1996.
The sections below presents a detailed discussion of the substitute
listing. The table summarizing today's listing decisions is in Appendix
A. The comments contained in the table in Appendix A provide additional
information, but are not legally binding under section 612 of the Clean
Air Act. Thus, adherence to recommendations in the comments section of
the table is not mandatory for use of a substitute. In addition, such
comments should not be considered comprehensive with respect to other
legal obligations pertaining to the use of the substitute. However, EPA
strongly encourages users of acceptable substitutes to apply all such
comments to their use of these substitutes. In many instances, the
comments simply refer to standardized operating practices that have
already been identified in existing industry and/or building-code
standards. Thus, many of these comments, if adopted, would not require
significant changes in existing operating practices for the affected
industry.
A. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
1. Acceptable Substitutes
(a) HFC-4310mee. HFC-4310mee is acceptable as a substitute for CFCs
and HCFCs in non-mechanical heat transfer applications. Heat transfer
applications are ``all cooling systems that rely on convection to
remove heat from an area, rather than relying on mechanical
refrigeration'' (59 CFR 13071). HFC-4310mee is nonflammable and has no
ozone depletion potential. However, it does have a 100-year global
warming potential of 1700. The potential of HFC-4310mee to contribute
to global warming may be mitigated in this end-use through the
implementation of the venting prohibition under section 608(c)(2) of
the Clean Air Act. HFC-4310mee is already acceptable as a substitute in
all solvent cleaning end-uses subject to a 200 part per million (ppm)
time-weighted average workplace exposure limit and a 400 ppm workplace
exposure ceiling (61 FR 54029, 64 FR 30410). The same industry-
established acceptable exposure limits apply in this end-use.
(b) IkonB. IkonB, a blend of
trifluoroiodomethane (CF3I), HFC-134a and HFC-152a, is
acceptable as a substitute for CFC-12 in household refrigerators and
freezers. IkonB was listed as acceptable in various
refrigeration and air conditioning end-uses in a December 6, 1999 SNAP
notice (64 FR 68039). Fractionation and flammability testing have
determined that although HFC-152a is flammable, IkonB as
blended is not, and further testing has shown that it does not become
flammable after leakage. IkonB has virtually no ozone
depleting potential. It contains two constituents with moderate global
warming potentials. The potential of these constituents for
contributing to global warming may be mitigated in this end-use through
the implementation of the venting prohibition under section 608(c)(2)
of the Clean Air Act.
(c) IkonA. IkonA, a blend of
trifluoroiodomethane (CF3I) and HFC-152a, is acceptable as a
substitute for CFC-12 in the following end-uses:
Commercial comfort air conditioning;
Industrial process refrigeration and air conditioning;
Cold storage warehouses;
Refrigerated transport;
Retail food refrigeration;
Vending machines;
Water coolers;
Commercial ice machines; and
Household refrigerators and freezers.
IkonA, also known as Ikon-12 or Blend Zeta, was listed as
acceptable as a substitute for CFC-12 in retrofitted and new motor
vehicle air conditioners in a May 22, 1996 SNAP notice (61 FR 25585).
Fractionation and flammability testing have determined that although
HFC-152a is flammable, the blend is not flammable; further testing has
shown that it does not become flammable after leakage. IkonA
has virtually no ozone depleting potential. The blend does contain HFC-
152a which has a global warming potential of 190 over a 100-year
integrated time horizon. The potential of this constituent for
contributing to global warming may be mitigated in each end-use through
the implementation of the venting prohibition under section 608(c)(2)
of the Clean Air Act.
(d) HFC-245fa. HFC-245fa is acceptable as a substitute for CFC-11
in new commercial comfort air conditioning applications (commercial
chillers). HFC-245fa contains no chlorine or bromine; therefore, it has
no ozone depletion potential. Although its 100-year global warming
potential is approximately 1000, the potential of HFC-245fa to
contribute to global warming may be mitigated in this end-use through
the implementation of the venting prohibition under section 608(c)(2)
of the Clean Air Act. HFC-245fa is also non-flammable. EPA anticipates
that HFC-245fa will be used in such a manner so that any
recommendations specified in the manufacturers' Material Safety Data
Sheets (MSDSs) are followed. The Agency also expects that the workplace
environmental exposure will not exceed the American Industrial Hygiene
Association's (AIHA) limit of 300 ppm.
In 1994, the SNAP program developed a guidance document entitled
``Choosing the Optimal Chiller in the Face of a CFC Phaseout''. This
guidance was written to assist building owners and operators making
decisions on the retrofit or replacement of their existing chillers in
light of the phaseout of CFCs. The guidance stresses that the optimal
way to select new equipment is to consider a comprehensive set of
criteria including ozone depletion potential, global warming potential,
energy efficiency, toxicity, occupational exposure, consumer exposure,
ecological effects, flammability and cost. It highlights that each
refrigerant has advantages and disadvantages and that one option is not
likely to satisfy the
[[Page 37902]]
optimal requirement for every circumstance.
EPA has determined that HFC-245fa is acceptable from an overall
health and environmental perspective and may potentially play an
important role in the phaseout of ozone depleting substances. However,
it is imperative that building owners and operators evaluate
refrigerants from a technical standpoint to determine which option is
superior for their specific application. For example, a refrigerant may
prove suitable and highly efficient for a particular chiller capacity
range, but not necessarily for all ranges. To obtain copies of the EPA
guidance mentioned above, technical information submitted by the
manufacturers of HFC-245fa and industry expert evaluations of HFC-
245fa, contact EPA's Air Docket at (202) 260-7548 (Reference A-91-42,
IX-B-52 through 56).
(e) Small auxiliary power units which include an engine, electrical
alternator, water pump, air conditioning compressor, and a heat
exchanger that are used in tractor trailers in conjunction with
passenger compartment climate control systems that use a SNAP-accepted
refrigerant. Small auxiliary power units which include an engine,
electrical alternator, water pump, air conditioning compressor and a
heat exchanger used in tractor trailers in conjunction with passenger
compartment climate control systems that already use an acceptable
substitute refrigerant, are acceptable as substitutes for CFC-12 in
motor vehicle air conditioners. These systems have been developed for
use in heavy duty trucks that contain sleeper compartments. Currently
these trucks must continually idle while the vehicle is parked and the
driver is resting in the sleeper compartment, to power a conventional
air-conditioner or heater when cooling or heating comfort is needed.
These power units will allow the provision of cooling/heating comfort
while the engine is off, and although the unit is powered by a small
diesel engine, emissions are reduced dramatically.
The main engine of the truck operates the existing truck air
conditioning and heating system in a normal manner when the engine is
running. When air conditioning or heating is required and the main
engine is not running, the auxiliary power unit operates the air
conditioning or heating system. The unit includes its own engine, air
conditioning compressor, alternator, water pump, and heat exchanger.
The unit works in conjunction with the existing truck air conditioning
and heating components to supply the desired air conditioning or
heating capacity.
After reviewing the technology of the auxiliary power system
submitted in the SNAP application, the SNAP review found no safety or
environmental concerns associated with its use in trucks. EPA
acknowledges the existence of such a system and recognizes the
potential merits. This type of technology can significantly lower fuel
consumption and reduce pollutant emissions of nitrous oxides, carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfuric oxides, and particulate matter.
B. Foam Blowing
1. Acceptable Substitutes
(a) Vacuum panels. Vacuum panels are acceptable as substitutes for
HCFC blown rigid polyurethane appliance foam. EPA defines a substitute
as ``any chemical, product substitute, or alternative manufacturing
process'' (59 FR 13050). The Agency listed vacuum panels as acceptable
substitutes for CFC-11 blown rigid polyurethane appliance foam on
January 13, 1995 (60 FR 3318). Today's decision makes vacuum panels
also acceptable as substitutes for HCFC blown polyurethane foam.
(b) 2-Chloropropane. 2-Chloropropane (isopropyl chloride) is
acceptable as a substitute for HCFCs in rigid polyurethane and
polyisocyanurate laminated boardstock foam. This non-ozone-depleting
chemical was listed as acceptable as a substitute for CFC-11 in rigid
polyurethane and polyisocyanurate laminated boardstock foam and
phenolic insulation board in the original SNAP rulemaking on March 18,
1994 (59 FR 13044). 2-Chloropropane has no global warming potential. An
analysis of the decomposition products of 2-chloropropane shows that
concentrations are well below the 1500 parts per million (ppm) limit
that EPA has determined to be of concern. This analysis can be obtained
through EPA's Air Docket at (202) 260-7548 (Reference A-91-42, IX-B-
57). Although exposure to foam blown with 2-chloropropane poses
essentially no risk to the consumer, exposure during manufacturing
could pose a risk. Analysis of toxicity data available suggest an
acceptable exposure limit of 350 ppm (8-hour Time Weighted Average).
This analysis can also be obtained through EPA's Air Docket at (202)
260-7548 (Reference A-91-42, IX-B-58). Because 2-chloropropane is
flammable, appropriate fire control measures should be in place
throughout the foam manufacturing process including storage and
handling of the chemical.
III. Additional Information
Contact the Stratospheric Protection Hotline at (800) 296-1996,
Monday-Friday, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (EST). For more
information on the Agency's process for administering the SNAP program
or criteria for evaluation of substitutes, refer to the original SNAP
rulemaking published in the Federal Register on March 18, 1994 (59 FR
13044). Notices and rulemakings under the SNAP program, as well as all
EPA publications on protection of stratospheric ozone, are available
from EPA's Ozone Depletion World Wide Web site at ``http://www.epa.gov/
ozone/title6/snap/'' and from the Stratospheric Protection Hotline
whose number is listed above.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 82
Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure,
Air pollution control, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: June 2, 2000.
Paul Stolpman,
Director, Office of Atmospheric Programs, Office of Air and Radiation.
Appendix A: Summary of Acceptable Decisions
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End-use Substitute Decision Comments
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Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
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Non-Mechanical Heat Transfer..... HFC-4310mee for Acceptable.................... EPA expects that the
CFCs and HCFCs. company-established 200
ppm time-weighted
average workplace
exposure limit and 400
ppm workplace exposure
ceiling will be met.
[[Page 37903]]
Household Refrigerators and Ikon B Acceptable.................... EPA expects that
Freezers. for CFC-12. manufacturers,
installers and
servicers of
refrigeration and air-
conditioning systems
will follow all
applicable industry
practices and technical
standards, including
but not limited to
standards issued by the
American Society of
Heating, Refrigeration
and Air-conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), and
that exposures will be
kept within all
applicable American
Industrial Hygiene
Association (AIHA) and
American Conference of
Governmental Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH)
occupational exposure
limits.
Commercial Comfort Air Ikon A Acceptable.................... EPA expects that
Conditioning. for CFC-12. manufacturers,
Industrial Process installers and
Refrigeration and Air servicers of
Conditioning. refrigeration and air-
Cold Storage Warehouses. conditioning systems
Refrigerated Transport.. will follow all
Retail Food applicable industry
Refrigeration. practices and technical
Vending Machines........ standards, including
Water Coolers........... but not limited to
Commercial Ice Machines. standards issued by the
Household Refrigerators American Society of
and Freezers. Heating, Refrigeration
and Air-conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), and
that exposures will be
kept within all
applicable American
Industrial Hygiene
Association (AIHA) and
American Conference of
Governmental Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH)
occupational exposure
limits.
Commercial Comfort Air HFC-245fa. for CFC- Acceptable.................... Building owners and
Conditioning. 11 (new only). operators should
evaluate refrigerants
from a technical
standpoint to determine
which option is
superior for their
specific application.
Small auxiliary power units which CFC-12 in motor Acceptable.................... EPA anticipates that
include an engine, electrical vehicle air installers and
alternator, water pump, air conditioners. servicers of
conditioning compressor and a refrigeration and air-
heat exchanger used in tractor conditioning systems
trailers in conjunction with will follow all
passenger compartment climate applicable standard
control systems that already use industry practices and
an acceptable substitute technical standards.
refrigerant.
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Foam Blowing
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Polyurethane Appliance Foam...... Vacuum panels...... Acceptable....................
Rigid Polyurethane and 2-chloropropane.... Acceptable.................... Analysis of toxicity
Polyisocyanurate Boardstock. data available suggest
an acceptable exposure
limit of 350 ppm (8-
hour Time Weighted
Average).
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[FR Doc. 00-15299 Filed 6-16-00; 8:45 am]
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