National Refrigerant Recycling and Emissions Reduction Program (Renewal)

Section 608 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), also known as the National Recycling and Emission Reduction Program (the Program), directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue regulations governing the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), during the maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of air-conditioning and refrigeration appliances. Section 608 also prohibits knowingly venting or releasing ozone-depleting and substitute refrigerants in the course of maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of appliances or industrial process refrigeration except for de minimis releases associated with good faith attempts to recycle or recover refrigerants. The regulations require persons servicing refrigeration and air-conditioning appliances to follow certain service practices that reduce emissions of refrigerants. The regulations also establish certification programs for technicians, recovery/recycling equipment, and refrigerant reclamation. In addition, EPA requires that refrigerants contained in appliances be removed prior to disposal of the appliances and that all refrigeration and air-conditioning appliances be provided with a servicing aperture that facilitates recovery of the refrigerant. The Agency requires that substantial refrigerant leaks in appliances containing ozone-depleting refrigerant be repaired when they are discovered. Compliance with these regulations significantly reduces emissions of refrigerants, and therefore aids U.S. and global efforts to minimize damage to the ozone layer and the environment as a whole. To facilitate compliance with and enforcement of Section 608 regulations, EPA requires reporting and recordkeeping from: technician certification programs; equipment testing organizations; refrigerant wholesalers; refrigerant reclaimers; refrigeration and air-conditioning appliance owners/operators; technicians; and other establishments that perform refrigerant removal, service, or disposal. OMB previously approved this collection under ICR Number 1626.12 through December 31, 2017. Specific reporting and recordkeeping requirements were initially published May 14, 1993 (58 FR 28660) and codified at 40 CFR part 82, subpart F (§82.150 et seq.). In September 2016, EPA finalized a rule that updated the requirements under the Program and extended them to cover appliances containing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and other non-exempt substitute refrigerants (81 FR 82272) (hereinafter referred to as the 2016 Rule). That rule contained new recordkeeping and reporting requirements and removed outdated recordkeeping and reporting requirements. EPA submitted that revised collection to OMB under the ICR Number 1626.15 and OMB accepted it for review on December 30, 2016. In 2020, EPA finalized a separate rule to revise the leak repair provisions so they apply only to equipment using refrigerant containing a class I or class II ODS substance . The 2020 rule removed the reporting and recordkeeping requirements for owners and operators of appliances containing 50 or more pounds of a non-exempt substitute refrigerant (e.g., HFCs) and technicians servicing such appliances. This rule does not affect the recordkeeping and reporting requirements finalized in the 2016 Rule that apply to appliances containing 50 or more pounds of an ODS refrigerant. There are no new records that must be maintained or reports that need be submitted under this rule. EPA has estimated that there are 573,731 annual respondents consisting of representatives from the air-conditioning and refrigeration community. The annual cost for respondents for the collection and maintenance of records, as well as reports to EPA, is estimated to total $24,625,892.

The latest form for National Refrigerant Recycling and Emissions Reduction Program (Renewal) expires 2023-04-30 and can be found here.