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U.S. EPA settles with Carrier Guam for $63,922 for illegal importation of ozone-depleting substances

Release Date: 10/01/2007
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, [email protected]

(10/01/07) HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently reached a settlement with Carrier Guam, of Tamuning, a refrigeration and heating equipment services company, for allegedly importing refrigerants regulated by the Clean Air Act.

The company imported 32,356 kilograms of hydrochlorofluorocarbon, an ozone-depleting substance. The EPA’s stratospheric ozone protection regulations limit and regulate the import of the product from sources outside the United States.

“The U.S. EPA limits the importation of ozone-depleting chemicals into the United States to protect the ozone layer from further damage,” said Deborah Jordan, director of the EPA’s Air Division for the Pacific Southwest region. “Refrigeration companies in Guam are not excluded from the rules and need to comply with the stratospheric ozone protection regulations in the Clean Air Act.”

A May 2006 inspection by the Guam EPA, in consultation with the U.S. EPA, identified the alleged violations of the stratospheric ozone protection regulations committed by Carrier Guam.

High in the atmosphere, the stratospheric ozone layer is the earth’s protective shield against excessive ultraviolet radiation. Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation has been held responsible for increased risk of skin cancer and cataracts, depressed immune systems, decreased crop output, and the destruction of plankton, a critical link in the oceanic food chain.

The U.S. EPA’s stratospheric ozone protection program aims to prevent depletion of the ozone layer through refrigerant production phase-out and use restrictions. The program also regulates the importation of ozone-depleting substances such as hydrochlorofluorocarbon

For more information on the U.S. EPA’s stratospheric ozone protection program, please visit https://www.epa.gov/ozone/strathome.html.

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