California proceeds with HFC prohibitions and plans to reduce NOx emissions

At its March 22-23 meeting in Riverside, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. California intends to do so by adopting the prohibitions on the use of certain refrigerants originally proposed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) that was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals. A recording of the meeting is available here.

CARB also heard an update from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) on its progress toward reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. SCAQMD’s plan calls for a 17 percent reduction in NOx emissions by 2022, and subsequent reductions through 2031. To achieve these goals, SCAQMD will create standards to measure and reduce NOx emissions from charbroilers and other appliances with burners used in commercial foodservice equipment.