# Margaret Sheppard 

# Stratospheric Protection Division ARL - TARDEC Fire Protection Information Exchange Meeting October 14 - 15, 2015,Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 

# EPA Overview

# Outline

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#  

# SNAP submissions for fire suppression  

# Sector activities  

# SNAP stakeholder meeting on recent and 

# upcoming actions  

# Recent petitions related to fire suppressants  

# Next steps 2• Acceptable - those that reduce overall risk to human health & environment • Acceptable with use restrictions - if needed to ensure safe use • Unacceptable 

## Evaluates alternatives & lists alternatives as:

• Aerosols; Foams; Refrigeration and A/C; Solvents; Fire Suppression; Adhesives, Coatings, Inks, etc. 

## Sectors include:

• Ozone Depletion Potential • Global Warming Potential • Flammability • Toxicity 

## Considers: • Local Air Quality • Ecosystem Effects • Occupational & Consumer Health/Safety

# SNAP Listings for Fire Suppression

4 End-Use Acceptable Substitutes Unacceptable

Substitutes Total

Listings Streaming: HFCs, HCFCs and blends, PFC, dry chemical, fluoroketones (FKs), CO 2, water 

# 24 1 25 Total Flooding: HFCs, HCFCs and blends, PFCs, inert gas/generators, aerosols, FK, CO 2, water 

# 43 4 47 All of Fire Suppression 

# 59 5 64

# SNAP Submissions

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##  

## 2-bromo - 3,3,3 -trifluoropropene (2 -BTP)  

## Streaming and total flooding  

## Parallel review with TSCA New Chemicals Program  

## Ongoing review, considering additional information from submitter  

## Inquiries on potential new submissions

# Sector Activities

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##  

# Aviation  

## FAA Halon Aviation Rulemaking Committee Final 

## Report (Dec. 2014)  

## Ongoing coordination with ICAO, HTOC  

# DoD  

## ODS Services Steering Committee  

# Standards  

## NFPA, ISO Technical Committees

# President’s Climate Action Plan and SNAP

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##  

# International diplomacy  

## Montreal Protocol  

## Other forums both multinational and bilateral  

# D omestic actions:  

## Federal procurement  

## EPA’s SNAP Program:  

## Encourage private sector investment by 

## identifying and approving climate-friendly chemicals  

## Prohibit certain uses of the most harmful 

## chemical alternatives “To reduce emissions of HFCs, the United States can and will lead both through international diplomacy as well as domestic actions”

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# Federal Actions Addressing HFCs

• FAR proposed rule (May 11, 2015) addressed HFCs by directing the government to procure alternatives to high - GWP HFCs: • Where feasible, substitute acceptable alternatives as identified by SNAP program • Vendor reporting on use of HFCs (i.e., refrigerants) • Final rule being drafted 

### • EO 13693 ( March 19, 2015) - Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade • Direct GHG emissions reduced by at l east 40 % by 2025 • Agencies to purchase sustainable products and services identified by EPA programs including alternatives to ODS a nd high - GWP HFCs, where feasible, as i dentified by SNAP 8

# SNAP Stakeholder Meeting

September 11, 2015 

## Washington, DC

# Welcome - Scope of Meeting  

## The SNAP Program  

## Recent actions  

## Near - term Roadmap and Actions Being C onsidered  

## Discussion Questions  

## Next Steps

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# SNAP Action Update  

## Issued two acceptability 

## notices adding alternatives  Published October 21, 2014  Published July 16, 2015 

###  

## Issued new rule adding five 

## low - GWP flammable refrigerants with use conditions  Published April 10, 2015 

###  

## Published Status Change Rule prohibiting certain HFCs in certain end - uses  Published July 20, 2015 

###  

### HFC Emissions Reductions: 54 - 64 MMTCO2eq in 2025 Near term changes can provide both near and long term benefits

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## Acceptability Notices

R-450A (HFC/HFO blend) RefAC GWP: ~604 compared to HFC - 134a: 1430 1233zd(E) heat transfer & flexible PU foams GWP <7 compared to alternatives:1070 - 4000 CO 2 refrigerated transport GWP: 1 compared to alternatives: ~1400 - 4000 Methylal foam blowing end - uses GWP <3 compared to alternatives: 725 - 1430 HFO - 1336mzz(Z) foam blowing end - uses GWP: ~9 compared to alternatives: 725 - 1430 Powdered Aerosol D fire suppression GWP <25 compared to alternatives: 0 - 3500 R-450A (HFC/HFO blend) RefAC GWP: ~604 compared to HFC - 134a: 1430 R-448A (HFC/HFO blend) RefAC GWP: 1387 compared to R -404A: 3922 R- 513A (HFC/HFO blend) RefAC GWP: 630 compared to HFC - 134a: 1430 R-449A (HFC/HFO blend) RefAC GWP:1397 compared to R - 404A: 3922 HFO - 1336mzz(Z) foam blowing end - uses GWP: ~9 compared to HFC - 245fa: 1030 MPHE RefAC, solvent cleaning aerosols and

adhesives/coatings GWP <3 compared to alternatives: 0 - 3500 

### October 2014 

### July 2015

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# July 2015: Change of Status Rule

• HFC - 125 - January 2016 • HFC - 227ea & blends - July 20, 2016 • HFC - 134a - July 20, 2016/January 1, 2018 

### Aerosols

• HFC - 134a in New Light- Duty Systems - MY 2021 • HCFC & HFC Containing Blends in New Light - Duty Systems - MY 2017 

### Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning • New Supermarket Systems - January 2017 • New Remote Condensing Units - January 2018 • New Vending Machines - January 2019 • New Stand - Alone Units (small medium - temp, large medium - temp, low - temp) - January 2019/January 2020 • Retrofitted Retail Food Refrig Equipment and Vending Machines - July 20, 2016 

### Retail Food Refrigeration & Vending Machines

• All End - Uses, Except Rigid PU Spray Foam - Various dates between January 2017 -January 2021 

### Foams

# Some Key Principles Guiding Our Thinking  

## SNAP rules will continue to consider individual end - uses  

## No across the board GWP cut offs  

## No prohibition on HFCs as a whole, or in any one sector  

## New HFCs or HFC blends may be listed if risk not greater than other available substitutes  

## Recognition that timing is a critical dimension and that each end use has unique considerations  

## Status change actions will be issued through notice and 

## comment rulemaking 14

# Potential Listings Proposals  

## EPA seeking stakeholder input on listings that could include :  

## Acceptable alternatives with use conditions  Use conditions would mitigate risks, e.g., flammability, exposure limits  Fire suppression: e.g., streaming agent for aviation  MVAC: HFO - 1234yf acceptable for Medium Duty Passenger Vans and Heavy Duty pickup trucks  Other refrigeration & air conditioning end - uses for flammable and highly flammable refrigerants 

###  

## Unacceptable alternatives  Where risks cannot be mitigated sufficiently, e.g., flammability, toxicity, air quality impacts, climate  Certain HC and HC blends for stationary AC retrofits and MVAC systems 15

# Change of Status EPA is Considering  

## Change of listing status from acceptable to unacceptable  

### EPA thinking potentially later transition dates than in July 20 th 

### final rule  

### End - uses based on stakeholder comments and EPA analysis  

## Sectors and end - uses where safer alternatives may be available  Refrigeration and A/C  Chillers : e.g., HFC - 134a, R -407C, R -410A  Refrigerated food processing and dispensing: e.g., HFC - 134a, R -404A, R - 507A  Household refrigerators and freezers: e.g., HFC - 134a  Cold storage warehouse: e.g., HFC - 134a, R -407C, R -404A, R - 507A  MVAC: HCFC/HFC blends retrofit Light Duty vehicles  Foam: e.g., HFC - 134a, HFC - 245fa, HFC - 365mfc, HFC - 227ea in rigid PU spray foam; methylene chloride  Fire suppression: e.g., PFCs, SF 6 , HFC - 23 16

# New Petitions Related to Fire Suppression

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###  

## NRDC & IGSD  

### Remove HFC- 23 from the list of acceptable substitutes for all new and retrofit industrial process refrigeration applications effective January 1, 2017. Apply narrow use restrictions to HFC- 23 in very low temperature refrigeration and total flooding fire suppression, allowing only for applications in which all other approved alternatives are physically inadequate effective January 1, 2017.  

### Remove sulfur hexafluoride (SF6 

### ), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), HCFC- 22 blends, HCFC- 124, and trifluoroiodomethane (CF 3

### I) from the list of acceptable substitutes in all flooding and streaming fire suppression applications effective January 1, 2019.

# New Petitions Related to Fire Suppression (cont’d)

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###  

## EIA

• Remove SF

6 , HFC- 23 and R - 508A and R - 508B (blends containing HFC- 23) from the list of acceptable substitutes in all fire suppression and explosion protection applications, all new and retrofit industrial process refrigeration and very low temperature refrigeration applications, effective January 1, 2017. • Remove HFC- 236fa, HFC- 125, HFC- 227ea and all remaining PFCs from the list of acceptable substitutes in fire protection and explosion protection for both total flooding and streaming applications effective January 1, 2019. Consider narrowed use restrictions for HFC- 134a in these applications, with potential exemption of HFC227ea for specified applications where HFC- 134a or low - GWP alternatives are not feasible for technical or safety reasons.

# Next Steps  

## Continue to expand SNAP acceptable list  

### Additional alternatives under evaluation  

### Additional end - uses are being evaluated 

###  

## Continue to work with stakeholders  

### E.g., Cold Food Chain Workshop in Montreal (November)  

### Sector workshops and Stakeholder meetings 

###  

## Develop next SNAP Notice for acceptable listings  

## Develop next SNAP Rule to include alternatives that are:  

### Acceptable with use conditions  

### Unacceptable  

### Change of status 

###  

## Review new petitions 19

# Thank you! Contact Information: Margaret Sheppard sheppard.margaret@epa.gov (202) 343 - 9163 Bella Maranion maranion.bella@epa.gov (202) 343 - 9749 Chenise Farquharson, SNAP Coordinator farquharson.chenise@epa.gov (202) 564- 7768