Subpart QQ – Imports and Exports of Equipment Pre-charged with Fluorinated GHGs or Containing Fluorinated GHGs in Closed-cell Foams
This page provides resources for subpart QQ reporters, including implementation information as well as supporting documents for relevant rulemakings.
Summary
This source category consists of importers and exporters of pre-charged equipment and closed-cell foams that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases (GHGs). Importers and exporters of pre-charged equipment and closed-cell foams that contain fluorinated GHGs have to report if either their total imports or their total exports of fluorinated GHGs in equipment and foams is greater than or equal to 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (tonnes CO2e/year). This threshold is the same as the threshold for bulk imports and exports of fluorinated GHGs under Subpart OO (Suppliers of Industrial Greenhouse Gases) found at 40 CFR § 98.410 – 98.418.
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Pre-charged equipment is any appliance, appliance component, electrical equipment, or electrical equipment component that is charged with a fluorinated GHG prior to sale or distribution or offer for sale or distribution. This definition includes both equipment that contains the full charge necessary for operation and equipment that contains a partial “holding” charge of the fluorinated GHG.
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Appliances means any device that contains and uses a fluorinated GHG refrigerant and is used for household or commercial purposes, such as air conditioners, motor vehicle air conditioners, refrigerators, chillers, and freezers.
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Electrical equipment includes (but is not limited to) gas-insulated substations, circuit breakers, other switchgear, gas-insulated lines, and power transformers.
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Closed-cell foam is any foam product, excluding packaging foam, constructed with a closed-cell structure and a blowing agent containing a fluorinated GHG. This definition includes (but is not limited to) to polyurethane (PU) foam contained in equipment, PU continuous and discontinuous panel foam, PU one component foam, PU spray foam, extruded polystyrene (XPS) boardstock foam, and XPS sheet foam.
Reporter Resources
Regulatory History
| Federal Register Date | Citation | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/25/2024 | 89 FR 31802 | Final Rule |
Updates global warming potentials (GWPs), expands the GHGRP to new source categories, and revises the requirements for certain sectors to improve the data collected and program implementation. |
| 12/11/2014 | 79 FR 73750 | Final Rule | Adds chemical-specific and default global warming potentials (GWPs) for fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs) and fluorinated heat transfer fluids (F-HTFs) to the general provisions of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule, makes conforming changes to subpart I (Electronics Manufacturing) and subpart L (Fluorinated Gas Production), amends certain provisions of subpart L, and establishes confidentiality determinations for certain reporting requirements of subpart L. Final Preamble and Rule (11/2014) (pdf) (48 pp, 796K) Correction Notice (12/2014) (pdf) (1 p, 230K) Response to Comments (12/2014) Fact Sheet (12/2014) (pdf) (45 KB) Proposed Preamble and Rule (7/31/2014) (pdf) (21 pp, 370K) Proposed Rule (11/19/2013) (pdf) (24 pp, 400K) Proposed Preamble and Rule (9/11/2013) (pdf) (31 pp, 550K) Proposed Preamble and Rule (1/10/2012) (pdf) (19 pp, 222K) |
| 11/29/2013 | 78 FR 71904 | Final Rule | Updates global warming potentials (GWPs) to reflect IPCC AR4 values, and amends 27 subparts to improve and clarify reporting requirements. Establishes confidentiality determinations for new and revised data elements. Final Preamble and Rule (11/2013) (pdf) (79 pp, 935K) Correction Notice (11/2013) (pdf) (2 pp, 248K) Response to Comments (11/2013) Fact Sheet (11/2013) (pdf) (37.6 KB) Memo: Table of Final 2013 Revisions to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule (pdf) (1 MB) Proposed Preamble and Rule (4/2/2013) (pdf) (77 pp, 909K) |
| 08/13/2012 | 77 FR 48072 | Final Rule | Establishes confidentiality determinations for most data elements to be reported under subparts I, W, DD, FF, II, QQ, RR, SS, TT, and UU; defers the deadline for reporting certain recently added data elements that are inputs to emission equations in subparts W, FF, and TT; finalizes amendments to subpart I to remove the requirement for a facility using Best Available Monitoring Methods (BAMM) to recalculate the previous reporting years’ emissions and resubmit to EPA. Final Preamble and Rule (8/2012) (pdf) (88 pp, 287K) Response to Comments (8/2012) Fact Sheet (8/2012) (pdf) (44 KB) Proposed Preamble and Rule (2/24/2012) (pdf) (23 pp, 261K) More Information Proposed Preamble and Rule (2/22/2012) (pdf) (17 pp, 212K) Proposed Preamble and Rule (1/10/2012) (pdf) (19 pp, 230K) |
| 11/29/2011 | 76 FR 73866 | Final Rule | Amends subparts A, W, FF, II, OO, RR, and TT to clarify reporting requirements and correct technical and editorial errors. Final Preamble and Rule (11/2011) (pdf) (25 pp, 341K) Response to Comments (11/2011) Fact Sheet (11/2011) (pdf) (48 KB) Proposed Preamble and Rule (8/4/2011) (pdf) (30 pp, 427K) More Information on Technical Corrections |
| 12/01/2010 | 75 FR 74774 | Final Rule |
Adds subparts I, L, DD, QQ, and SS, which are sources of fluorinated GHGs, to 40 CFR Part 98. |