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Protection of Stratospheric Ozone
[Federal Register: September 30, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 190)] [Rules and Regulations] [Page 51018-51019] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 82 [FRL-5616-9] Protection of Stratospheric Ozone AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of denial of petition.
SUMMARY: This action notifies the public that the Agency received a petition pursuant to section 612(d) of the Clean Air Act, under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program, and that EPA is denying the petition. SNAP implements section 612 of the amended Clean Air Act of 1990, which requires EPA to evaluate substitutes for ozonedepleting Substances (ODS) and to regulate the use of substitutes where other alternatives exist that reduce overall risk to human health and the environment. Through these evaluations, EPA generates lists of acceptable and unacceptable substitutes for each of the major industrial use sectors.
In developing the March 18, 1994 final SNAP rule (59 FR 13044), EPA identified HFC-134a as a potential replacement for CFC-12. It is manufactured by several companies worldwide. In the March 18, 1994 final rule, EPA found HFC-134a to be an acceptable substitute for CFC- 12 in a variety of end-uses.
OZ Technology, Inc. submitted Hydrocarbon Blend B, or HC-12a, as a CFC-12 substitute in a variety of end-uses on July 19, 1994. In the June 13, 1995 final SNAP rule (60 FR 31092), EPA found the use of Hydrocarbon Blend B unacceptable as a substitute for CFC-12 in all enduses other than industrial process refrigeration. This determination was based on a lack of adequate data demonstrating that HC-12a could be used safely in these end-uses. In addition, numerous other acceptable alternatives exist. [[Page 51019]] On December 5, 1995, OZ Technology, Inc. petitioned EPA to remove Hydrocarbon Blend B from the unacceptable list and add it to the acceptable list, and to remove HFC-134a from the acceptable list and add it to the unacceptable list. The petition is in Air Docket A-91-42, file number VI-D-135. On August 30, 1996, EPA denied the first request in the petition on the basis that the information included in the petition did not include a scientifically valid, comprehensive risk assessment for the requested CFC-12 end-uses, and the second request on the basis that the petition did not contain sufficient evidence of a safety hazard posed by the use HFC-134a as a CFC-12 substitute in any end-use. The denial and the accompanying documentation are in Air Docket A-91-42, file number VI-C-20. ADDRESSES: Information relevant to this notice is contained in Air Docket A-91-42, Central Docket Section, South Conference Room 4, U.S. Environmental Agency, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. Telephone: (202) 260-7548. The docket may be inspected between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays. As provided in 40 CFR part 2, a reasonable fee may be charged for photocopying. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Levy at (202) 233-9727 or fax (202) 233-9577, U.S. EPA, Stratospheric Protection Division, 401 M Street, S.W., Mail Code 6205J, Washington, D.C. 20460. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Contact the Stratospheric Protection Hotline at 1-800-296-1996, Monday-Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) weekdays. For more information on the Agency's process for administering the SNAP program or criteria for evaluation of substitutes, refer to the SNAP final rulemaking published in the Federal Register on March 18, 1994 (59 FR 13044). Federal Register notices can be ordered from the Government Printing Office Order Desk (202) 783-3238; the citation is the date of publication. This notice may also be obtained on the World Wide Web at http://www.epa.gov/docs/ozone/title6/snap/. List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 82 Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, Air pollution control, Reporting and Recordkeeping requirements. Dated: September 20, 1996.
Mary D. Nichols, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. [FR Doc. 96-24892 Filed 9-27-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P