The Air Resources Board (ARB) has released, for public review, a draft Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy. The Draft Strategy proposes possible new regulations to reduce the emissions of fluorinated gases including refrigerants.
Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) include methane, black carbon, and fluorinated gases (including most refrigerant gases). They are powerful climate forcers that remain in the atmosphere for a much shorter period of time than major climate pollutants such as carbon dioxide. Their relative potency in terms of how they heat the atmosphere can be tens to thousands of times greater than CO2. Short-lived climate pollutants include methane, black carbon, and fluorinated gases. The impacts of short-lived climate pollutants are especially strong within the near term. Reducing these emissions can have an immediate beneficial impact on climate change. Senate Bill 605 (Lara, Chapter 523, Statutes of 2014) requires ARB, in coordination with other State agencies and local air districts, to develop a strategy by the end of 2015 to further reduce short-lived climate pollutant emissions in California. Staff will consider public comments received on the Draft Strategy, released on September 30, 2015, and develop a Proposed Strategy to present to the Board in December 2015. The Draft Strategy is available at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/shortlived/2015draft.pdf.
Additional information and documents related to the Proposed Strategy are available on ARB’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant website: http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/shortlived/shortlived.htm.
Public Comments on the Draft Strategy Report:
You are encouraged to submit your comments on the Draft Strategy at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm2/bcsubform.php?listname=slcpdraftstrategy-ws&comm_period=1. Staff requests that comments be submitted by October 30, 2015.