The Phaseout of Ozone-Depleting Substances
What's New
(12/11/08): EPA Signs Proposed Rule as the Next Step in the Phaseout of HCFCs.
(12/11/08): EPA Signs Proposed Rule to Ban the Sale of Appliances Containing HCFCs
(12/4/08): $490 Million Pledged in the Fight to Protect the Ozone Layer
Countdown to the Montreal Protocol's 2010 Milestones
EPA regulations issued under Sections 601-607 of the Clean Air Act phase out the production and import of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), consistent with the schedules developed under the Montreal Protocol . The phaseout has operated by reducing in stages the amount of ODS that may be legally produced or imported into the U.S. The Parties to the Montreal Protocol have changed the phaseout schedule over time, through the amendment process, and EPA has also accelerated the phaseout under its Clean Air Act authority. Eventually, once zero new production/import is allowed, ODS users must purchase domestically available supplies or use alternatives.
In the United States, ozone-depleting substances are regulated as Class I or Class II controlled substances. Class I substances have a higher ozone-depleting potential and have been completely phased out in the U.S., except for exemptions allowed under the Montreal Protocol. Class II substances are hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are transitional substitutes for many Class I substances and are being phased out now.
- More information on the phaseout of Class I substances
- More information on the phaseout of Class II substances