WASHER 1664909 - Caterpillar

Legislation/Regulations
Worldwide
Many countries have signed a treaty, commonly referred to as the "Montreal Protocol", which mandates a phase-out of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) materials, including the refrigerant R-12, during the 1990's. The R-12 is the refrigerant used in all Caterpillar air conditioning systems.
Various timetables for the phase-out of CFC's may apply. The production of CFC's will be banned in some countries, as follows: 1994 - Austria and Australia1995 - Sweden1996 - Belgium and Germany1997 - Canada, Denmark, and Switzerland
National
In the United States, the 1990 U.S. Clean Air Act calls for: a. Certification of air conditioning service personnel by January 1, 1992, for all firms who serviced more than 100 systems during 1990. Certified recycling equipment must be used.b. Each person working in establishments that serviced less than 100 units in 1990, that wish to continue air conditioning service, must notify the EPA of their intent. No special equipment would be required.c. Certification of all air conditioning service personnel will be required by January 1, 1993. Certified recycling equipment must be used.d. Intentional venting of CFC's to the atmosphere will be illegal.e. Restrictions on the sale of refrigerants in containers of less than 20 pounds.
Many details of certification, restrictions, enforcement, and penalties have not yet been specified by the EPA.
CFC production will be reduced year-by-year, ending with an outright ban by the year 2000. In addition, a progressively-increasing tax has been imposed on R-12. Higher taxes plus shortages will result in higher prices for R-12.
State and Local
Some State bans on CFC's have been announced: Vermont - 1993 model year automobile air conditioning systemsMaine - 1994 model year automobile air conditioning systemsRhode Island - January 1, 1995 on automobile air conditioning systemsWisconsin - Phase-in covering 1993 through 1996 model years
It is expected that other state or local regulations may follow. Check with authorities in your area for specific information.
Training and Certification
As stated above, if you are to be in the air conditioning service business, some form of technician certification will be required. Dealers may elect to maintain a sufficient number of certified technicians to handle their air conditioning work, or may utilize outside contractors for this work. Marketing Communications Division will provide training materials and recommendations to assist dealers in air conditioning training as soon as specific requirements are known.
Tooling
Tooling is presently available from Caterpillar Service Technology Group (CSTG) to adequately service current air conditioning systems. The recently-announced 4C8754 and 4C8755 Air Conditioning Carts provide the capability of recovering and recycling the present R-12 refrigerant.
When tooling needs are identified for future alternative refrigerant systems, that equipment will also be made available by Caterpillar Service Technology Group. That equipment will be certified per UL (Underwriter's Laboratories) and SAE specifications. Dealers should plan for appropriate future tooling investment, if they expect to do air conditioner service work.
Alternative Refrigerants
A refrigerant other than R-12 will be used in Caterpillar products within the near future. From the data now available, it appears that the alternative refrigerant will have the following characteristics: - It will not be compatible with