Top ten projects that have earned the most CRTs in the Reserve

We recently achieved the significant milestone of issuing over 40 million carbon credits, each representing one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions reduced or sequestered from the atmosphere. Learn more about the top 10 largest offset projects in the Reserve that helped this achievement:

Safeway Must Fix Ozone-Depleting Refrigerant Leaks Nationwide

WASHINGTON, DC, September 5, 2013 (ENS) – Safeway, the second largest U.S. grocery store chain, has agreed to pay a $600,000 civil penalty and implement a corporate-wide plan to reduce its emissions of ozone-depleting substances from refrigeration equipment at 659 of its stores in a settlement of alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act.

The settlement, estimated to cost approximately $4.1 million, involves the largest number of facilities to be brought into compliance under the Clean Air Act’s regulations governing refrigeration equipment.

Freezer in a Safeway store, Portland, Oregon (Photo by Heather)

“This first-of-its-kind settlement will benefit all Americans by cutting emissions of ozone-depleting substances across Safeway’s national supermarket chain,” said Robert Dreher, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “It can serve as a model for comprehensive solutions that improve industry compliance with the nation’s Clean Air Act.”

The settlement agreement resolves allegations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department that Safeway violated the Clean Air Act by failing to promptly repair leaks of the hydro-chlorofluorocarbon HCFC-22, a common refrigerant used by supermarkets that is a greenhouse gas and an ozone-depleting substance.

The grocery chain also failed to keep adequate records of the servicing of its refrigeration equipment, the government agencies allege.

EPA regulations issued under Title VI of the Clean Air Act require that owner or operators of commercial refrigeration equipment that contains over 50 pounds of ozone-depleting refrigerants, and that has an annual leak rate greater than 35 percent repair such leaks within 30 days.

HCFC-22 is up to 1,800 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming emissions. The measures that Safeway has committed to are expected to prevent over 100,000 pounds of future releases of ozone-depleting refrigerants that destroy the ozone layer.

Safeway will now implement a corporate refrigerant compliance management system to comply with stratospheric ozone regulations.

Under the settlement, Safeway has agreed to reduce its corporate-wide average leak rate from 25 percent in 2012 to 18 percent or below in 2015. The company will reduce the aggregate refrigerant emissions at its highest-emission stores by 10 percent each year for three years.

“Safeway’s new corporate commitment to reduce air pollution and help protect the ozone layer is vital and significant,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

“Fixing leaks, improving compliance and reducing emissions will make a real difference in protecting us from the dangers of ozone depletion, while reducing the impact on climate change,” said Giles.

HCFCs deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, which allows dangerous amounts of cancer-causing ultraviolet rays from the sun to strike the Earth, leading to adverse health effects that include skin cancers, cataracts, and suppressed immune systems.

“The impact of ozone depletion is a global phenomenon, and the health and environmental harm as a result of Safeway’s emissions do not have particularized impact on communities near stores where the violations occurred,” explains the EPA. “However, all citizens may be more susceptible to skin cancers, cataracts and immune system suppression as a result of violations like these.”

Under the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty, the United States is implementing strict reductions of ozone-depleting refrigerants, including a production and import ban on HCFC-22 by 2020.

The settlement is part of EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful air pollution from the largest sources of emissions, including large grocery stores.

EPA’s GreenChill Partnership Program works with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change by transitioning to environmentally friendlier refrigerants, using less refrigerant and eliminating leaks, and adopting green refrigeration technologies and best environmental practices.

Safeway, headquartered in Pleasanton, California has 1,412 stores in the United States and 2012 revenues of $44.2 billion. Safeway operates companies under the banner of Vons in southern California and Nevada, Randalls in Texas, and Carrs in Alaska.

The settlement was lodged Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. It will be available for viewing at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.

End Of The Season Reduction Sale

End Of The Season Reduction Sale

Available for immediate shipment. Special pricing in place on a ½ pallet minimum of R134a, R404A, R407C and R410A.

Stock up for the 2014 season with the reduced cost of R134a, R404A, R407C and R410A. This pricing will not last long with shipping cost included. Contact A-Gas RemTec Today For the Special Pricing 1-888-873-6832.

A-Gas RemTec also reclaims used refrigerants; our specialized equipment and expertise allow us to offer a complete reclamation and product stewardship package for refrigerant users.

We purchased used R-11, R-12, R-13, R-22, R-113, R-114, R13b1, R-400, R-500, R-502, R-503

Depending on your needs, our Refrigerant Program features

·        Pickup of recovered refrigerants within 24 hours

·        Acceptance of follow-purity R-22 to 90%

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·        All freight arrangements paid by A-GAS RemTec

·        Documentation is provided for your EPA record keeping

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A-GAS RemTec is an EPA certified reclamation facility

Contact A-Gas RemTec Today for all of your refrigerant needs.

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R134a Refrigerant

Do you use R-134a refrigerant?

A-Gas RemTec can provide you with R-134a in 30lb, 145lb, 1,000lb, 2,000lb, ISO Truck Tank and 30lb pallet quantities.

The R-134a meets AHRI 700-2006 Specification and we provide a certificate of analysis for every shipment.

Are any of your cylinders out of test date?

A-Gas RemTec is a certified Department of Transportation (DOT) hydrostatic testing facility.
We'll internally wash, hydrostatically test and recertify your tanks.

Other required services (based on cylinder size) and optional services are available.

Do you recover R-22?

A-Gas RemTec will pay you for it if it meets 98% purity.


We'll pay the freight both ways, if you can provide us with our minimum net weight requirement of R-22.

German KBA Authority Offers New Report on AC Refrigerant Soap Opera

If the Daimler AG versus France air-conditioning refrigerant saga would be a book, this new information would be the chapter when the plot suddenly thickens.

As you all probably know by now, France has banned the sale of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, B-Class and the CLA on their territory over the models' use of the R134a AC coolant, which will be outlawed by the European Union from 2017 for environmental reasons.

Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) recently issued a report of its findings following the subsequent testing of a number of cars that use the new R1234yf air conditioning coolant, which is set to replace the old R134a.

Their conclusion? The new refrigerant - which has been ostracized by Daimler AG following over 100 in-house test that proved it possesses an increased fire risk during certain types of head-collisions – is more hazardous than the old one, but it doesn't comprise a serious danger.

“Due to the comparisons with the previous refrigerant 134a in Stage 3, one can ascertain that the safety level of cars tends to deteriorate when 1234yf is used,” the KBA report mentioned.

Although the report is kind of in line with France's stance in the matter, looking deeper in the details given it also appears that Daimler AG is not exactly the boy who cried wolf when there wasn't any wolf in sight.

Of the four cars tested by the KBA (A Mercedes-Benz B-Class, A Hyundai i30, Subaru Impreza and an Opel Mokka) one of them burst into flames and also emitted a pretty considerable amount of the highly toxic hydrogen fluoride gas.

According to the report, quoted by Reuters, “non-negligible” amounts of the gas were detected in two of the other cars being crash tested, but the coolant itself only ignited in one test. In other words, for the time being, everyone is right about the matter. A more comprehensive final report will be released in mid-september, while the EU officials will obviously have the final word. Our say? Why don't you check out our editorial to find out a more personal opinion.