On September 20, 2024, EPA Administrator, Michael S. Regan, signed the final rule Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Management of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons and Substitutes under of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, was signed.   This final rule establishes an Emissions Reduction and Reclamation (ER&R) Program for the management of certain HFCs and their substitutes that includes requirements for:  Leak rates for, and repair of, systems containing a full charge of 15 pounds or more of an HFC, or a substitute for an HFC, with a GWP greater than 53, excluding residential and light commercial AC and heat pump systems. The new leak rates, which will take effect on 1/1/2026 are: Industrial Process Refrigeration (IPR): 30%, Commercial Refrigeration: 20%, Comfort Cooling, Refrigerated Transport, and other appliances not specifically listed: 10% Use of automatic leak detection (ALD) systems for appliances containing an HFC, or a substitute for an HFC, with a GWP greater than 53, with a charge of 1,500 pounds or more. Reclaimed HFC refrigerants. Starting 1/1/2026, reclaimed HFC refrigerants can contain no more than 15%, by weight, virgin HFC refrigerant. Starting 1/1/2029, technicians servicing HFC-charged supermarket systems, refrigerated transport systems, and automatic commercial ice makers must use reclaimed refrigerant. Recovery of HFCs from disposable cylinders prior to disposal. Starting 1/1/2028, technicians must send certain disposable cylinders to a section 608-certified reclaimer, a fire suppressant recycler, a final processor, or a refrigerant supplier for its remaining contents to be removed. Alternative compliance method: A section 608-certified technician must evacuate a disposable cylinder to a vacuum level of 15 in Hg and provide a certification statement to the final processor. Recordkeeping, reporting, and labeling.  A pre-publication version of the rule is available at epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction. Additional information about the rule and EPA’s efforts to protect our climate by reducing the use of HFCs can be found at epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction.