EPA issued a Finding of Violation (FOV) to PSC on September 15, 2014, for violations at two PSC facilities. Specifically, PSC did not require complete verification statements attesting that refrigerant had been properly evacuated and recovered prior to delivery of appliances and/or motor vehicle air conditioners (MVACs) to the facility, or a contract that refrigerant will be removed prior to delivery; nor did PSC recover refrigerant from the appliances and/or MVACs.
Because PSC owns and operates many additional scrap yards, EPA proposes issuing an ACO that address operations at PSC scrap yards which currently handle refrigerant-containing appliances and/or MVACs. These facilities are located in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
The ACO will require the following compliance actions at the 25 PSC scrap yards: (1) require scrap yards that were previously relying solely on verification statement to comply with the CFC regulations to now purchase and use refrigerant recovery equipment in addition to the verification statements; (2) implement a training program to ensure operators at each yard understand the CFC regulations and how CFC containing materials should be addressed at the scrap yards; and (3) require PSC to submit records based on a randomized audit to EPA for review. The ACO will reduce CFC emissions by approximately 74,000 pounds per year.