. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/USA/152 
10 November 2005 
 (05-5270) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA) (157) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Ozone Depleting 
Substances (HS Chapter:  3824;  ICS:  13) 
5. Title, number of pages and langu age(s) of the notified document:   Protection of 
Stratospheric Ozone: Listing of Ozone Depleting Substitutes in Foam Blowing 
(9 pages, in English) 
6. Description of content:   :  Today the Environmental Pr otection Agency (EPA) is proposing 
to determine that HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b are unacceptable for use in the foam sector under the Significant New Alternatives Po licy (SNAP) Program under section 612 of the 
Clean Air Act.  The SNAP program reviews alternatives to Class I and Class II ozone depleting substances and approves use of altern atives which do not present a greater risk to 
public health and the environment than the subs tance they replace or than other available 
substitutes.  Specifically, EPA is taking two acti ons.  First, in response to a court decision 
upholding a challenge to EPA's July 2002 fi nal rule finding HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b 
acceptable subject to Narrowed Use Limits in th ree foam end uses, we are proposing to find 
HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b unacceptable as substitutes for HCFC-141b in the foam end uses of commercial refrigeration, sandw ich panels, slabstock and "other" foams.  Second, in the 
July 2002 final rule, EPA withdrew a propo sed action to find HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b 
unacceptable as substitutes for CFCs in all fo am end uses.  We are now issuing a new 
proposal to find HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b unaccepta ble as substitutes for CFCs in all foam 
end uses. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:   : 
Protection of the environment 
8. Relevant documents:   70 Federal Register (FR) 67120 4 November 2005;  Title 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 82.  Will a ppear in the Federal Register when adopted. G/TBT/N/USA/152 
Page 2  
 
 9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:   5 December 2005 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
Full Text of this Notification is Now Available on the Internet at URLs: 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-
21927.htm 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/
05-21927.pdf