PART 9. HALOGENATED REFRIGERANTS [44470 - 44474]
( Part 9 added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 874, Sec. 1. )
(a)
The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(1)
For the first time in human history, the use and disposal of certain manmade products are actively destroying a layer of the earth’s atmosphere without which human life cannot continue to exist.
(2)
These products, known as chlorofluorocarbons and halons, have already begun to deplete the ozone layer which protects human and other life forms from cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation. Above California, the ozone shield has been depleted about 3 percent over the last 20 years.
(3)
On January 1, 1989, a 24-nation agreement (the Montreal Protocol) became effective, calling for the reduction in use of most CFCs and halons, and the Environmental Protection Agency has issued regulations designed to freeze production of these products at current levels.
(4)
The Montreal Protocol was amended in 1990 calling for a reduction of CFC manufacturing to 50 percent of 1986 levels by 1995, further reduction to 15 percent of 1986 levels by 1997, and complete elimination by the year 2000. Due to the severity of the ozone depletion problem, however, this phaseout schedule is to be reviewed in 1992 with the objective of accelerating it still further.
(5)
It is essential to the health and safety of all Californians to take such steps as are necessary to further decrease and halt the destruction of the ozone layer by CFCs and halons.
(b)
The Legislature further finds and declares the following:
(1)
CFCs and halons contribute actively to global warming trends which could dramatically affect the economy and stability of California, including the flooding of coastal lands, loss of crop winters, and destruction of coastal wetlands and forests.
(2)
Twenty-five percent of the total amount of CFCs produced every year in the United States are needlessly released into the atmosphere through mobile air-conditioning servicing, maintenance, and leaking.
(3)
CFC-12 accounts for 46 percent of California’s contribution to ozone depletion from CFCs. Emissions from mobile air-conditioners are estimated to account for 27 percent of all of California’s CFC-12 emissions.
(4)
Actions required by the federal Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 (Public Law 101-549) will result in programs which require the recycling of CFCs used as refrigerants in existing motor vehicles and stationary systems, beginning in 1992. The severity of the ozone depletion problem, however, compels us to shift to the use of alternative refrigerants as soon as possible.
(5)
Most vehicle manufacturers have indicated that they can equip a portion or all of their vehicle fleets with an alternative refrigerant by the mid- to late 1990s, if alternative products successfully complete toxicity testing by the Environmental Protection Agency by 1992.
(c)
It is the intent of the Legislature by the enactment of this part to phase out the use of CFC-based refrigerants in mobile air-conditioning systems by banning the sale of any new automobile, truck, or other motor vehicle in California which utilizes CFC-based refrigerants after January 1, 1995, except as otherwise specified in subdivision (b) of Section 44473.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 874, Sec. 1.)
(a)
This part applies to products containing or manufactured with CFC-11, CFC-12, and HCFC-22 which have an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of greater than .1, and have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Any reference in this part to CFC, or CFCs, means these substances.
(b)
As used in this part, “vehicle air-conditioner” means mechanical vapor compression refrigeration equipment used to cool the driver’s or passenger compartment of any motor vehicle.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 874, Sec. 1.)
(a)
On and after January 1, 1993, and prior to January 1, 1994, not more than 90 percent of the new 1993 model year or later motor vehicles equipped with vehicle air-conditioners which are certified for sale, sold, or offered for sale in this state shall utilize CFC-based products described in subdivision (a) of Section 44471.
(b)
On and after January 1, 1994, and prior to January 1, 1995, not more than 75 percent of the new 1994 model year or later motor vehicles equipped with vehicle air-conditioners which are certified for sale, sold, or offered for sale in this state shall utilize those CFC-based products.
(c)
On or after September 1, 1994, not more than 10 percent of all model year 1995 vehicles shall utilize those CFC-based products.
(d)
On and after January 1, 1995, no person or business shall certify for sale, sell, or offer to sell a new 1995 or later model year motor vehicle equipped with a vehicle air-conditioner utilizing those CFC-based products.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 874, Sec. 1.)
(a)
Manufacturers of all motor vehicle models described in Section 44472 shall submit quarterly records and an annual report to the state board detailing the percentage of new models certified for sale, sold, or offered for sale in California with CFC-alternative mobile air-conditioning systems not using the CFC-based products enumerated in subdivision (a) of Section 44471. Compliance with Section 44472 shall be based on the total number of new motor vehicle models with non-CFC-based vehicle air-conditioners certified for sale, sold, or offered for sale versus the total number of new motor vehicle models with vehicle air-conditioners certified for sale, sold, or offered for sale in California each year.
(b)
Each of the deadlines set forth in Section 44472 may be extended for a period of not more than two years upon a determination by the state board that chemical or technological alternatives to CFC-based products are not yet available and in sufficient supply, or that manufacturers of new motor vehicles require additional time to redesign vehicle air-conditioning systems.
(c)
The state board shall adopt regulations by March 1, 1992, providing for the enforcement of this part.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 874, Sec. 1.)
Any person or business that violates this part is liable for a civil penalty of five hundred dollars ($500) per incident, not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) per day.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 874, Sec. 1.)