Hydrofluorocarbons
June 2016 Section 71 Notice (Mandatory Survey)
On June 11, 2016, a notice was issued in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 150, No. 24 (PDF Format - 1920 KB), under section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), entitled: Notice with respect to Hydrofluorocarbons in bulk. This Notice requires information to be provided on HFCs manufactured, imported or exported in bulk, whether alone or in a mixture, during the 2015 calendar year.
The purpose of the Notice is to assist Environment and Climate Change Canada in understanding the use of these substances and bulk quantities in Canadian commerce. This will allow the department to assess the need for domestic control strategies as well as international actions under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
An HFC is considered to be “in bulk” if the substance, whether alone or in a mixture, is in a container intended for transportation or storage. Data reporting is only required on bulk HFCs and not on HFCs contained in pre-charged equipment, products and manufactured items, such as refrigerators, aerosol spray cans, compressed air sprayers and air conditioners.
Every person to whom this Notice applies is required to comply with the Notice by no later than 3:00 p.m. Estern Daylight Saving Time, August 10, 2016.
For guidance to help determine if you are subject to the Notice and for assistance with completing the various sections of the Notice, refer to the Guidance document for responding to the Notice with respect to Hydrofluorocarbons in bulk.
Please note that under subsection 71(4) of the Act, extensions may be granted in some cases upon written request. To apply for an extension, a written request must be submitted to the Minister of the Environment, to the attention of the Substances Management Coordinator, prior to the deadline.
Persons who do not meet the reporting requirements of this Notice, but who have a current or future interest in reportable substances set out in the Notice are encouraged to identify themselves as a stakeholder for those substances by submitting a voluntary Declaration of Stakeholder Interest online via Environment and Climate Change Canada's Single Window.
Persons who do not meet the requirements to respond to this Notice and have no commercial interest in the substances listed in the Notice may complete a Declaration of Non-Engagement online via Environment and Climate Change Canada's Single Window.
How to Submit a Response
Responses to the section 71 Notice, the Declaration of Stakeholder Interest and the Declaration of Non-Engagement must be submitted via Environment and Climate Change Canada's Single Window. Guidance on how to submit your information via Environment and Climate Change Canada's Single Window is available upon request.
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Single Window provides a single point of access to view and update your information with Environment and Climate Change Canada's regulatory program reporting applications. The Single Window Information Manager allows users to enter, edit or update information about their profile, organizations, facilities and contacts, to manage roles for other users, and to navigate to program-specific reporting tools.
For general inquiries or to request a copy of the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) Online Reporting How-To Guide, please Contact us and use the subject line "HFCs Inquiry".
January 2016 Section 71 Notice (Mandatory Survey)
On January 2, 2016, a notice was issued in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 150, No. 1 (PDF Format - 415 KB) under section 71 of CEPA 1999, entitled: Notice with respect to hydrofluorocarbons in bulk. The Notice collected data from those who manufactured, imported or exported HFCs, in bulk, whether alone or in a mixture, during the 2013 and 2014 calendar years.
April 2014 Section 71 Notice (Mandatory Survey)
On April 19, 2014, a notice was issued in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol.148, No.16 (PDF Format – 1 267 KB) under section 71 of CEPA, entitled: Notice with respect to hydrofluorocarbons. The Notice collected data from those that manufactured, imported or exported HFCs, in bulk, whether alone or in a mixture, during the 2008 to 2012 calendar years.
Background
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were essentially created as replacements for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) being phased-out under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. As a result, HFCs are increasingly used in applications that traditionally used ODS such as refrigerants in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector, and to a lesser extent, as blowing agents in the manufacture of insulating foams, aerosol propellants, fire suppression agents and cleaning solvents.
Although HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, many are powerful greenhouse gases with high global warming potentials. HFCs are currently included in the basket of gases controlled under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) but are not subject to specific targets under this Convention.
Every year since 2009, Canada, Mexico and the United States have put forward the North American Proposal to amend the Montreal Protocol to include controls on HFCs. The current version of the North American Proposal would establish targets to reduce HFC consumption and production in both developing countries (over the period 2021-2046) and developed countries (over the period 2019-2036).
Although agreement has not yet been reached by Parties on the Proposal, discussions continue at the international level taking into account linkages between the Montreal Protocol and the UNFCCC. As the Proposal is further discussed by Parties, Canada will require HFC production, import and export data to inform its domestic actions on HFCs in line with the Proposal and with action being taken in other jurisdictions.
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