USA: An objection to a newspaper article by the USA's Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has again highlighted the problem of US manufacturers 'dry-shipping' air conditioning equipment for use with R22.
AHRI president and ceo Stephen Yurek complained of 'several inaccuracies' in a September 8, article in the New York Times on R22 refrigerant smuggling which he claims laid the blame at the feet of air conditioner manufacturers, attributing demand for R22 'to the reluctance of manufacturers to step up development of more environmentally friendly machines.'

Mr Yurek maintains that the replacement equipment is available but that efforts to phase out R22 had been undermined by the US Environmental Protection Agency whose rules did not contain a complete ban on the manufacturing of new equipment using R22, but allowed continued production of R22 equipment, as long as it was not charged with R22 until installed in the field.

The problems of this loophole in the US phase-out regulations were first highlighted by ACR News last year after leading manufacturer Carrier sent a petition to the EPA, pointing out the anomaly, and complaining of a number of manufacturers exploiting it.

Over 12 months later, the EPA has yet to act on complaints from a number of leading manufacturers and bodies like the AHRI, and the loophole remains.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that as many R22 units are still being sold in the USA as new R410A equipment. At the beginning of this year, the EPA proposed a 35% reduction in R22 production and consumption levels from last year's 100 million pounds - and prices have since gone through the roof.

Refrigerant manufacturer DuPont has estimated that the service demand for R22 in the US could exceed the supply by 27.5 million pounds annually for the next three years.

Many pundits see smuggling taking up the shortfall.

Meanwhile, in his complaint over the New York Times article, Mr Yurek added 'If the EPA rules had been released in a timely manner and if the EPA had banned the manufacture of new equipment using R22 as everyone intended and expected, this situation would not exist today,'
New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/08/science/earth/smugglers-sell-coolant-tied-to-global-warming.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&hp

AHRI response:
http://www.ahrinet.org/u_s_+air+conditioner+manufacturers+respond+to+reports+of+r_22+smuggling.aspx