Washington Department of Ecology restricts refrigerants linked to global warming - KHQ Right Now
Washington Department of Ecology restricts refrigerants linked to global warming | News | khq.com
The Washington Department of Ecology is proposing a new regulation that will restrict the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) which is a gas used for cooling and refrigeration.
HFCs are a type of fluorinated gas that have largely replaced chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as refrigerants because those gases were depleting the Earth's ozone layer.
HFCs are now the fast-growing category of greenhouse gas emissions in the world and are disproportionately contributing to the climate crisis.
The new rule requires manufacturers to stop using certain HFCs in new air conditioners and commercial refrigeration equipment sold in Washington. It will also create a new refrigerant management program to establish how Washington businesses and industries must maintain existing equipment.
“The new refrigerant management program will address the approximately 3.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent that leak into the atmosphere every year,” said Len Machut, who leads Ecology’s HFC unit.
These HFC restrictions are part of a suite of Washington climate policies designed to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050. The state law complements federal EPA requirements to transition to more environmentally friendly refrigerants.
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