September ’23 at-a-glance … environment

EPA SNAP approves two new alternative refrigerants

Two additional refrigerant substitutes have been listed as acceptable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Significant New Alternative Policy Program (SNAP). In the prepublication version of its Determination of Acceptability (Notice 38), EPA listed R-471A and R-515B for refrigeration. The agency also listed R-515B as acceptable in commercial ice machines.

Calif. expected to require comprehensive GHG emissions disclosures

The California Assembly passed AB 1305, one of the nation’s most broad reaching GHG emissions disclosure bills, requiring public and private companies with revenues of more than $1B annually that operate in the state to report their direct and indirect emissions. A companion Senate bill, SB 253, is expected to pass before sending the proposal to Democratic Gov. Newsom. By 2030, the state aims to lower GHG emissions by 40% below what they were in 1990.