Today's action consists of EPA's determination that it is neither necessary nor appropriate under section 608(a)(2) of the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or ``Act'') to issue a proposed rule requiring the certification of recycling and recovery equipment for halons; and further, that it is neither necessary nor appropriate under section 608(a)(2) of the CAA to require that halons be removed only through the use of certified equipment. Halons are gaseous or easily vaporized halocarbons used primarily for fire and explosion protection and are listed as group II, Class I ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) under 40 CFR part 82, subpart A. Section 608 of the CAA directs EPA to issue regulations which reduce the use and emissions of ozone-depleting substances to the lowest achievable level and which maximize the recapture and recycling of such substances. In developing regulations concerning use, emissions and recycling, EPA considers both technological and economic factors. The objective of an equipment certification program, and associated provisions allowing the removal of halons only through the use of certified equipment, would be to verify that all recycling and recovery equipment sold was capable of minimizing emissions, and that such certified equipment was in fact used, thereby minimizing emissions during recycling and recovery activities. Research completed by EPA in association with this determination, however, suggests that the great majority of halon recovery and recycling equipment currently in use or on the market consists of highly efficient halon closed recovery systems achieving a minimum recovery efficiency of 98%. Entities which perform the vast majority of halon transfers employ these efficient units. Operations utilizing less efficient halon recycling and recovery equipment and methods are estimated to account for less than 1% of total annual halon emissions in the United States during recycling and recovery activities. With regard to halon emi