Tackling Fugitive Emissions in Hawaii
A bill currently working its way through Hawaii’s state legislature seeks to reduce fugitive emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by implementing a refrigerant management program in Hawaii. Fugitive emissions come from leaks and other unintended releases of gases instead of the combustion of fuels like gasoline. The issue with fugitive emissions of refrigerants is that they have a low financial impact to individuals and businesses but a significant impact to climate change. For example, R-410A, a common refrigerant, has a global warming potential (GWP) that is 2,088 times that of CO2; however, a tank of R-410A only costs several hundred dollars. The fact that refrigerants are inexpensive gives businesses little financial incentive to curb their fugitive emissions.
HB197 HD1 seeks to solve the lack of incentive by requiring businesses to undertake practices that will reduce their fugitive emissions. The bill would require the Department of Health to create and implement a refrigerant management program that would reduce emissions through the following measures:
Require annual registration for each owner or operator of a stationary commercial and industrial refrigeration system that utilizes a high—GWP refrigerant or ozone depletion substance refrigerant;
Require regular leak inspections and reporting for stationary commercial and industrial refrigeration systems that are not equipped with automatic leak detection;
Require certain service practices for the installation, servicing, repair, and disposal of stationary refrigeration systems and air conditioning systems;
Require refrigerant leak detection, monitoring, and reporting for refrigeration systems; and
Require the reporting of leaks above the applicable leak rate threshold and submitting the leak repair verification test results, or submitting a retrofit or retirement plan, including a timeline for the retrofit or retirement and disposal of retired refrigeration equipment.
The Department of Health will also be required to determine what systems and refrigerants will be covered by the program and the fees that will be charged to support it. For more information about HB197 HD1, please click on the following link: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=197. It will take you to the text of the bill and its progress through the legislature.
