HB 197 Summary

• Establishes a Hawaii Refrigerant Management Program within the Department of Health to reduce emissions of high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and ozone-depleting substances from stationary commercial and industrial refrigeration and air conditioning systems.

• Requires annual registration, regular leak inspections, and reporting for commercial and industrial refrigeration systems exceeding de minimis charging capacity levels and not equipped with automatic leak detection.

• Exempts systems with de minimis charging capacity and those using refrigerants below established GWP thresholds from registration and inspection requirements.

• Directs the Department of Health to adopt rules establishing de minimis capacity levels, GWP threshold values, leak rate thresholds, service practices, record retention requirements, and enforcement penalties, with compliance required no earlier than January 1, 2025.

• Requires the State Building Code Council to establish codes consistent with reducing GWP refrigerant emissions while prohibiting any state law from restricting refrigerants deemed acceptable under federal law; appropriates funds and takes effect July 1, 2050.