SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed a law to ban the sale of 134a refrigerant to consumers, potentially impacting the ability of California DIYers to work on their cars. If enacted, Californians will no longer be permitted to purchase cans of auto refrigerant, leaving them with no option but to go to a repair facility for assistance, according to a group opposing the proposed ban.
A new coalition called “Stay Cool California” has formed to help fight the proposed law. “Stay Cool California” says the ban “targets the very people who can least afford to have this service performed at a repair shop and places an economic burden upwards of $167 million on fixed and lower income Californians.”
“Instead of going after oil companies and utilities that emit millions of tons of greenhouse gases, the California Air Resources Board is aiming its regulatory guns on consumers who prefer to work on their own cars,” stated Tom Brown, a coalition spokesperson. “What costs consumers $10 today for a can of auto refrigerant, will cost them $150 or more tomorrow if CARB gets their way. That’s just not fair for those people who cannot afford to take their car to a repair shop to have this very simple and necessary service done.”
“Stay Cool California” has launched a web site, http://www.staycoolcalifornia.com to educate and motivate consumers, auto enthusiasts and hobbyists and do-it yourselfers to take action and send a message to the Legislature urging their help in opposing this proposed consumer ban that hurts hundreds of thousands of Californians right in their pocketbooks.
“We understand the need to reduce global warming in California and the members of our coalition are committed to doing this. But targeting low and fixed income Californians is no way to reduce global warming and is unfair and discriminatory. CARB should be going after sources where more substantial greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved at much lower cost to the citizens of California real greenhouse gas emissions reductions,” Brown added.
