The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending the rule on mandatory leak repair of appliances, promulgated under section 608
of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act), to clarify how the requirements of section 608 extend to appliances using substitutes for chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants. This
final rule affects the owners and operators of comfort cooling, commercial refrigeration, and industrial process refrigeration (IPR) appliances with regard
to leak repair provisions promulgated under section 608 of the Act. Certain aspects of this action will also affect Federal owners and operators of
commercial and comfort-cooling appliances normally containing more than 50 pounds of refrigerant. This rule supplements a statutory and self-effectuating prohibition on venting substitutes to the atmosphere that became effective on November 15, 1995 (i.e., section 608(c)(2) of the Act). EPA is amending the current leak repair requirements for refrigeration and
air-conditioning equipment (i.e., appliances) containing CFC and HCFC refrigerants to accommodate
the proliferation of new refrigerants on the market. In addition to amending the leak repair requirements, this final rule extends the leak repair provisions of
section 608 to appliances using substitutes consisting in whole or in part of a class I or class II ozone-depleting substance (ODS).
This final rule is effective on March 14, 2005.
