Protection of Stratospheric Ozone

This notice expands the list of acceptable substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. SNAP implements section 612 of the amended Clean Air Act of 1990, which requires EPA to evaluate substitutes for the OZONE- DEPLETING SUBSTANCES (ODS), and regulate the use of substitutes where other alternatives exist that reduce overall risk to human health and the environment. Through these evaluations, SNAP generates lists of acceptable and unacceptable substitutes for each of the major industrial use sectors. In addition, this Notice clarifies several points from the June 13, 1995 final rule (60 FR 31092). On March 18, 1994, EPA promulgated its plan for administering the SNAP program, and issued decisions on the acceptability and unacceptability of a number of substitutes (59 FR 13044). In today's Notice, EPA issues decisions on the acceptability of substitutes not previously reviewed by the Agency. The intended effect of this action is to expedite movement away from ozone depleting compounds. To arrive at determinations on the acceptability of substitutes, the Agency completed a cross-media sector end-use screening assessment of risks to human health and the environment.