Vermont § 573 - Motor vehicle air conditioning

§ 573. Motor vehicle air conditioning

• (a) No person may perform service on motor vehicle air conditioners, unless that person
  uses equipment that is certified by the Underwriters Laboratories, or an institution
  determined by the Secretary to be comparable, as meeting the Society of Automotive
  Engineers standard applicable to equipment for the extraction and reclamation of refrigerant
  or a substitute prohibited under section 586 of this title from motor vehicle air conditioners. (b) The Secretary, by rule, shall establish a phased schedule for the acquisition of that
  equipment by establishments that repair motor vehicles, requiring early acquisition
  by high-volume establishments and subsequent acquisition by lower-volume establishments,
  providing that all establishments that wish to continue to service motor vehicle air
  conditioning shall have that equipment in use by January 1, 1991. The Secretary,
  by rule, shall require these establishments to document motor vehicles repaired and
  chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) purchased. (c) After October 1, 1989, no person shall sell any CFC coolant in a container smaller
  than 15 pounds, unless it bears a warning label indicating the product’s danger to
  ozone in the stratosphere. After January 1, 1991, no person shall sell or offer for
  sale: (1) CFC coolant, suitable for use in motor vehicle air conditioners, for noncommercial
  or nonindustrial usage; or (2) CFC coolant, suitable for use in motor vehicle air conditioners, in containers smaller
  than 15 pounds. (d) No motor vehicle with a model year of 1995 or later may be registered in the State
  or sold to a consumer or dealer in the State, if it contains air conditioning that
  uses CFCs. No new motor vehicle may be sold or offered for retail sale in the State
  if it contains air conditioning that uses CFCs, unless it bears an 8-inch by 11-inch
  placard attached to a passenger window that reads as follows: “AIR CONDITIONING IN
  THIS VEHICLE CONTAINS CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (CFCS). CFCS DEPLETE THE EARTH’S PROTECTIVE
  OZONE LAYER, CAUSING SKIN CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.” (e) As used in this section, “motor vehicle” shall have the same meaning as defined in
  23 V.S.A. § 4. (f) The Secretary, by January 15, 1992, shall report to the General Assembly with regard
  to the condition of the stratospheric ozone layer and the latest information as to
  the causes of that condition. The report also shall address the progress being made
  by manufacturers of motor vehicles that are commonly sold or registered in this State
  in developing and completing production of motor vehicles that have air conditioning
  that use refrigerants other than CFCs. This report shall include any appropriate
  recommendations. (Added 1989, No. 59, § 1; amended 1991, No. 46, § 1; 2021, No. 121 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 1, 2022.)