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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 55 / Wednesday, March 24, 2021 / Rules and Regulations standards testing organization may apply to the agency for approval to test and certify refrigerant recycling equipment; and 2 a training and certification program may apply to the agency for approval to train and certify technicians in the proper use of refrigerant recycling equipment for MVACs. Underwriters Laboratories UL
and Intertek formerly ETL Testing Laboratories ETL are the approved independent standards testing organizations that currently certify equipment using the standards that appear in appendix A of 40 CFR part 82, subpart B.
Finally, the 1992 rule established recordkeeping and reporting requirements that include: Certifying that only properly trained and certified individuals are repairing or servicing MVACs for consideration; certifying the use of approved recycling equipment and that each individual authorized to use the equipment has obtained the proper training and certification; and requiring that owners of approved refrigerant recycling equipment retain records demonstrating that all persons authorized to operate the equipment obtained the required certification.
In 1995, the EPA issued a rule 60 FR
21682; May 2, 1995 establishing regulatory standards, based on standards developed by SAE, which applied to certification of R12 recoveronly equipment, in appendix B at 40
CFR part 82, subpart B. Specifically, for recover-only equipment, the agency adopted the recommended service procedure for the containment of R12
SAE J1989, issued in October 1989 and set forth in subpart B, appendix B and test procedures to evaluate recover-only equipment SAE J2209, issued in June 1992. The definition of approved refrigerant recycling equipment was revised in the 1995 rule to include this recover-only equipment. UL and ETL
were also approved to certify recoveronly equipment. Finally, service technicians previously certified to handle recover/recycle equipment were grandfathered so that they would not have to be recertified to handle recoveronly equipment.
The EPA issued a third rule under CAA section 609 in 1997 62 FR 68026;
December 30, 1997 in response to the increasing use of alternative refrigerants, particularly 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane HFC134a or R134a. The 1997 rule established standards and requirements for the servicing of MVACs that use any refrigerant other than R12. The rule also stated refrigerant whether R12 or a substitute recovered from motor vehicles at motor vehicle disposal facilities may be re-used in the MVAC

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service sector only if it has been properly recovered and recycled by persons who are either employees, owners, or operators of the facilities, or technicians certified under CAA section 609, using approved equipment. The 1997 rule also established conditions under which owners and operators of motor vehicle disposal facilities may sell refrigerant recovered from such vehicles to technicians certified under CAA section 609.
Additionally, the 1997 rule established standards for recover/
recycle and recovery/recycling/
recharging equipment for R134a;
recover-only equipment for R12, R
134a, and hydrofluoroolefin HFO
1234yf or R1234yf; recycling equipment intended for use with both R12 and R134a; and recover-only equipment for a single refrigerant other than R12 or R134a. The 1997 rule established appendices C through F at 40 CFR part 82, subpart B. Specifically, appendix C contains standards based on SAE J2788 for recovery/recycling and recovery/recycling/recharging equipment for R134a refrigerant.
Appendix D is based upon SAE J1732
and establishes standards for recoveronly equipment for R134a. Appendix E
contains standards for recover-only equipment for both R12 and R134a, while appendix F establishes standards for recover-only equipment for any single refrigerant other than R12 and R134a.
Since the publication of the 1997 rule, the EPA has published two rules, one in 2007 72 FR 63490; November 9, 2007
and one in 2008 73 FR 34644; June 18, 2008, to reflect updated SAE standards.
Test results from the SAE Improved Mobile Air Conditioning Cooperative Research Project,4 an MVAC industry sponsored research project, showed that equipment certified to meet SAE J2210
and SAE J1732 5 left as much as 30% of the refrigerant in MVACs. As a result of these findings, SAE developed SAE
J2788 and SAE J2810, which require that equipment be capable of recovering 95% of refrigerant from MVACs. The two rules adopted SAE J2788 and SAE
J2810, which replaced SAE J2210 and SAE J1732, respectively, allowing for an 4 SAE, Improved Mobile Air Conditioning Cooperative Research Program. https
www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OAR2006-0428-0003 and https www.regulations.gov/
document?D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0231-0002.
5 SAE J2210 HFC134a R134a Recovery/
Recycling Equipment for Mobile Air-Conditioning Systems Cancelled Nov 2010. SAE J1732 HFC
134a R134a Refrigerant Recovery Equipment for Mobile Automotive Air-Conditioning Systems Stabilized Nov 2011.

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increased percent of refrigerant to be recovered during servicing.
III. What is the EPA finalizing in this action?
The EPA is amending 40 CFR part 82, subpart B, 82.32, 82.36, 82.38, and 82.40 to adopt three equipment standards for the servicing of MVACs that use the refrigerant R1234yf by incorporating them by reference into the CAA section 609 regulations. The standards provide technical specifications for equipment used for servicing MVACs containing R1234yf consistent with CAA section 609
regulations, codified at 40 CFR part 82, subpart B. The refrigerant R1234yf was listed by the EPAs Significant New Alternatives Policy SNAP program as acceptable, subject to use conditions, in MVACs in new cars and new light-duty trucks 76 FR 17488; March 29, 2011, and in certain new heavy-duty vehiclesnew medium-duty passenger vehicles, new heavy-duty pickup trucks, and new complete heavy-duty vans 81
FR 86778; December 1, 2016.
The existing regulations at 40 CFR
82.34 state that no person repairing or servicing MVACs for consideration may perform any service involving refrigerant for such MVACs without properly using equipment approved pursuant to 40 CFR 82.36. This final rule adds equipment certified to meet SAE J2843, J2851, and J3030 to the equipment approved under CAA section 609 implementing regulations to recover, recycle, and/or recharge the refrigerant R1234yf for MVACs.
A. What are the standards the EPA is adopting?
The EPA is adopting the following three equipment standards for the servicing of MVACs that use R1234yf:
SAE J2843 revised July 2019, R
1234yf HFO1234yf Recovery/
Recycling/Recharging Equipment for Flammable Refrigerants for Mobile AirConditioning Systems;
SAE J2851 revised February 2015, Recovery Equipment for Contaminated R134a or R1234yf Refrigerant from Mobile Air Conditioning Systems; and SAE J3030 revised July 2015, Automotive Refrigerant Recovery/
Recycling/Recharging Equipment Intended for use with Both R1234yf and R134a.
SAE J2843, J2851, and J3030 were developed by SAE, which is a global association of more than 138,000
engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial-vehicle industries. The SAE
Interior Climate Control Standards Committee ICCSC consists of five sub-

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