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Early action measure seeks to reduce emissions of highly-potent
climate-changing gas. 

Release 09-07
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2009
	  	  	
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