Release 09-07
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2009
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Stanley Young
(916)322-2990
(916) 956-9409
www.arb.ca.gov |
ARB adopts regulation to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from do-it-yourself cans of automobile
refrigerant
Deposit and recycling program to prevent
equivalent of 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide from entering atmosphere
SACRAMENTO—The Air Resources Board today
adopted a regulation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the use
of cans of refrigerants by do-it-yourselfers to recharge the air-conditioning
systems of cars.
“This regulation is an outstanding example
of how engaging stakeholders and the public in an open and transparent process
resulted in an improved regulation with a much lower cost for
do-it-yourselfers, and for the greenhouse gas reduction program overall,” said
ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.
The regulation includes a deposit and
recycling program patterned after a recent and successful pilot program by
industry in Southern California. It will cost
an estimated $11 for each ton of greenhouse gases prevented from entering the
atmosphere. The original 2007 proposal to ban the do-it-yourself cans outright
carried an estimated cost of $159 per ton.
The automotive refrigerant currently in wide
use, HFC-134a, is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming impact 1,300
times greater than carbon dioxide. A single 12-ounce small can of this
refrigerant is equivalent to 1,000 pounds of CO2 or the emissions from an automobile burning 50 gallons of gasoline.
The regulation, one of a series of so-called
discrete early action measures under AB 32, California’s landmark climate change
legislation, has four major components:
- Better container technology – a
self-sealing valve on all small containers of automotive refrigerant sold
in California
to prevent emissions of any content remaining in a used container
- Improved labeling instructions for use
- A new industry-run container deposit and recycling program to
recover and recycle refrigerant remaining in a used can
- A manufacturer-developed education
program so the consumer can use the best techniques for recharging an air
conditioner
The proposed regulation is estimated to
achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions of over 250,000 metric tons of
carbon dioxide equivalents per year in 2020, and will add about $1 to the
purchase price of a can.
ARB staff has worked since October 2007 on
this regulation with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including the affected
industry. It also received input during a series of public workshops and
workgroup meetings to develop a proposal that achieves emission reductions in
the most cost-effective manner possible.
This regulation marks an important step
forward in the state’s effort to control and reduce emissions from powerful
chemicals and coolants that contribute greatly to global warming,” added
Nichols. “It is also California’s
first enforceable action to directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
vehicles, helping to establish a complementary national approach to address the
wide range of emissions from cars that directly contribute to global warming.”
The Air Resources Board is a department of the
California Environmental Protection Agency.
ARB’s mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and
ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while
recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control
efforts in California
to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.
The
energy challenge facing California
is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy
consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your
energy cost, see our web site at http://www.arb.ca.gov
