§ 573. Motor vehicle air conditioning

(a) After January 1, 1991, no person, for compensation, 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 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.)