The California Air Resources Board, in a attempt to comply with the greenhouse gas reduction requirements of Schwarzenegger-signed AB 32, votes today on a possible ban of small cans of air-conditioner refrigerant containing HFC 134a aka R134a (i.e., the supposedly ozone-layer-friendly stuff that replaced good ol' Freon). Ozone layer or not, the stuff is considered a global warming-enhancing gas, and the CARB figures that only licensed mechanics should be allowed to do air-conditioner recharges. Another instance of freedom-hatin' California lawmakers pissing on the can-do spirit of the Wild West, or are they forward-looking environmentalists saving the planet from chuckleheads who leak 15 cans of refrigerant into the air during a long weekend of Pep Boys-enabled backyard repair work? You decide! – Murilee Martin
Ban on canned auto air-conditioner coolant tops panel's agenda [Los Angeles Times]
Related:
Utah Teens Invent New Automotive A/C System [internal]
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