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Stationary Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning
Technician Certification
Steps For Replacing a Lost Card (Section 608)Where to Return Used Refrigerant
Find refrigerant drop-off locationsRepairing or Replacing Your Home Air Conditioner?
EPA has issued regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act to minimize the emission of refrigerants by maximizing the recovery and recycling of such substances during the service, repair, or disposal of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment (i.e., appliances).
Note: The handling and recycling of refrigerants used in motor vehicle air-conditioning systems are governed under Section 609 of the Clean Air Act.) This page provides fact sheets describing Section 608 and regulations related to Section 608.
- Information for Technicians
- Refrigerant Sales and Distribution
- Refrigerant Reclamation
- Leak Repair Requirements
- Information for Consumers
- Initiatives and Voluntary Partnerships to Reduce Refrigerant Emissions
Fact Sheets
- Section 608 of the Clean Air Act: Stationary Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
- Overview of the Phaseout of HCFC Refrigerants
- Where to Return Used Refrigerant
- Complying With The Section 608 Refrigerant Recycling Rule
- How to Replace a Lost Technician Certification Card
- How to Report a Violation of the Clean Air Act
- Safe Disposal Requirements for Small Appliances (PDF) (4 pp, 384 KB, About PDF)
- Safe Disposal of Refrigerated Household Appliances - Frequently Asked Questions
- Construction and Demolition: How to Properly Dispose of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Equipment (PDF) (4 pp, 919 KB, About PDF)
- Listing of Ozone-Depleting Substances and their Substitutes
- Composition of Refrigerant Blends
- Frequently Asked Questions on Section 608
Regulations and Federal Register Notices
Amendments to the Section 608 Leak Repair Requirements
Proposed Rule on Amendments to the Section 608 Leak Repair Requirements (December 15, 2010; 75FR 78558) (28 pp, 314 KB). This rule proposes changes to the leak repair regulations promulgated under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is proposing to lower the leak repair trigger rates for comfort cooling, commercial refrigeration, and industrial process refrigeration and airconditioning equipment (i.e., appliances) with ozone-depleting refrigerant charges greater than 50 pounds. This action proposes to streamline existing required practices and associated reporting and recordkeeping requirements by establishing similar leak repair requirements for owners or operators of comfort cooling, commercial refrigeration, and industrial process refrigeration appliances. This action also proposes to reduce the use and emissions of class I and class II controlled substances (such as but not limited, to CFC–11, CFC–12, HCFC–123, HCFC–22) by requiring the following: Verification and documentation of all repairs, retrofit or retirement of appliances that cannot be sufficiently repaired, mandatory replacement of appliance components that have a history of failures, and mandatory recordkeeping of the determination of the full charge and the fate of recovered refrigerant.
Recycling of Substitute Refrigerants
Proposed Rule Recycling of Refrigerant Substitutes (June 11, 1998; 63 FR 32044) (56 pp, 570 KB, About PDF). This rule proposed to amend the rule on refrigerant recycling to clarify how the Section 608 requirements might extend to hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and perfluorocarbon (PFC) substitutes for ozone-depleting, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), refrigerants. This rule also proposed to exempt certain substitute refrigerants from the Clean Air Act refrigerant venting prohibition on the basis of evidence that their release does not pose a threat to the environment.
Final Rule on Venting and Sales of Refrigerant Substitutes (March 12, 2004; 69 FR 11946) (43 pp, 491 KB, About PDF). This rule sustains the Clean Air Act prohibition against venting hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and perfluorocarbon (PFC) refrigerants. The knowing venting of HFC and PFC refrigerants during the maintenance, service, repair, and disposal of air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment (i.e., appliances) remains illegal under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act. The rule also restricts the sale of HFC refrigerants that consist of an ODS to EPA-certified technicians. However, HFC refrigerants and HFC refrigerant blends that do not consist of an ODS are not covered under “The Refrigerant Sales Restriction.”
Final Rule on Leak Repair Requirements for Appliances Using Refrigerant Substitutes (January 11, 2005; 70 FR 1972) (22 pp, 256 KB, About PDF). This rule extends the leak repair required practices and the associated reporting and recordkeeping requirements to owners and/or operators of comfort cooling, commercial refrigeration, or industrial process refrigeration appliances containing more than 50 pounds of a substitute refrigerant, if the substitute contains a class I or class II ODS. In addition, EPA has defined leak rate in terms of the percentage of the appliance's full charge that would be lost over a consecutive 12-month period, if the current rate of loss were to continue over that period. EPA now requires calculation of the leak rate every time that refrigerant is added to an appliance.
Direct Final and Concurrent Proposed Rule Amending the Definition of Refrigerant (April 13, 2005; 70 FR 19371) (6 pp, 197 KB, About PDF). This rule amends the definition of refrigerant to make certain that it only includes substitutes that consist of a class I or class II ODS. This rulemaking also amends the venting prohibition to make certain that it remains illegal to knowingly vent nonexempt substitutes that do not consist of a class I or class II ODS, such as R-134a and R-410A.
Revocation of Approval as an EPA-Certified Reclaimer
- May 20, 2004; (69 FR 29076)
- September 27, 2002; (67 FR 61088)
- December 5, 2000; (65 FR 75932)
- September 18, 1998; (63 FR 49910)
- January 13, 1998; (63 FR 1927)
- May 23, 1997; (62 FR 28466)
Revocation of Approval for Certain Technician Certification Programs
- September 27, 2000; (65 FR 58069)
- November 12, 1998; (63 FR 63314)
- February 21, 1997; (62 FR 8011)
- July 19, 1996; (61 FR 37741)
Changes to Refrigerant Recycling Standard (modified Industrial Recycling Guide-2)
- Correction to Final Rule (September 18, 2003; 68 FR 54677) (2pp, 164 KB, About PDF)
- Final Rule (July 24, 2003; 68 FR 43786) (36pp, 429 KB, About PDF)
- Direct Final Rule to Temporarily Extend Current Requirements (February 29, 1996; 61 FR 7724) (4pp, 159 KB, About PDF)
Industrial Process Refrigeration Leak Repair Amendment
- Compliance Guidance For Industrial Process Refrigeration Leak Repair Regulations
- Final Rule (August 8, 1995; 60 FR 40420) (25pp, 286 KB, About PDF)
- Proposed Rule (January 19, 1995; 60 FR 3992) (17pp, 239 KB, About PDF)
Technician Certification Amendment
- Final Rule (November 9, 1994; 59 FR 55912)
- Proposed Rule (August 15, 1994; 59 FR 41968)
Technical Amendments
- Direct Final Rule (August 19, 1994; 59 FR 42950)
Recycling of Ozone-Depleting Refrigerants
- Final Rule Summary
- Final Rule (May 14, 1993; 58 FR 28660)
- Proposed Rule (December 12, 1992; 57 FR 58644)