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Regulation & Compliance

EPA Adopts “Compliance First” Policy for Enforcement Activities

In December 2025, Craig J. Pritzlaff, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), issued a memorandum that reinforces a “compliance first” orientation as the guiding principle for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The policy prioritizes environmental compliance “in the most efficient, most economical, and swiftest means possible, while ensuring that our actions align with the clearest, most defensible interpretations of statutory and regulatory mandates.”

Regulation & Compliance

IIAR Task Force to Propose PSM/RMP Changes

IIAR’s newest task force has completed a gap analysis to assess OSHA and EPA’s 30-year-old PSM/RMP programs. The “NH3 Overdue Regulation Modernization,” or NORM, task force will ask regulators to remove regulatory burdens that overlap across agencies or defer to IIAR standards when the standards and regulations overlap. The task force's long-term effort will be to shift some funding and enforcement from federal regulators to state and local authorities. The NORM task force was formed to operate in a rare federal environment in which the Trump administration has opened the door to regulatory reform through Executive Order 14192, which requires agencies to take 10 deregulatory actions for every new regulation.

Conference

IIAR Gives 2026 Awards for Presentation Excellence

Each year, IIAR recognizes the best technical paper presentations offered at the annual Natural Refrigeration Conference. This year’s event took place March 15 – 18 in San Antonio, Texas. The IIAR Award for Presentation Excellence, offered to the top English and non-English language technical papers and previously named the “Andy Ammonia Award,” was created to acknowledge the crucial role that education and information-sharing play within the natural refrigeration industry, and to provide acknowledgment of the expertise that is generously shared by association volunteers.

Conference

IIAR 2026 Conference Shatters Attendance Records

Over 2,000 attendees participated in the International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration’s Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo in San Antonio, Texas. The event focused on networking, equipment exhibition, and a technical education track that featured industry trends and practical discussion of operational processes and details. “Overall, the conference was better attended than ever before in years past, said Yesenia Rector, IIAR’s Vice President – Education, Outreach and Events.

Codes & Standards

IIAR Approves Consensus Body Replacements

IIAR approved 18 Consensus Body replacements on its three consensus bodies for IIAR standards. The replacements are routine maintenance required by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and are completed a minimum of every five years or when individuals are no longer participating. IIAR maintains three consensus bodies, 1357, 24689 and CO2&HC. The bodies are the near-final stage of approval for IIAR standards 1,3,5, and 7, and 2,4,6,8, and 9, respectively. The CO2&HC body manages CO2 and hydrocarbons (HC).

IIAR Greenpaper: Natural Refrigerants for a Sustainable Future

Industrial food production around the globe depends on natural refrigerants. Ammonia (NH₃), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and hydrocarbons such as propane (R290) make up the foundation of the technologies that support the global cold chain. Often called one of the world’s “century-proof” technologies, natural refrigerants have been used for over 100 years and continue to outperform synthetic alternatives in terms of energy efficiency and environmental impact. Natural refrigerants pose the only truly climate-neutral solution for the technical systems and infrastructure required to feed the world’s population.

IIAR White Paper: Environmental and Health Risks of Synthetic PFAS Refrigerants

This white paper examines the growing global concern over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), focusing on trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a persistent byproduct of modern hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerants. While designed to reduce global warming potential (GWP), HFOs degrade in the atmosphere to form TFA – a short-chain PFAS that accumulates in water and soil. TFA’s resistance to degradation and lack of large-scale remediation methods make it a mounting ecological and regulatory challenge.

Winter 2026

IIAR adds Resource Center in 2025, Begins Analysis of US Ammonia System Regulations

IIAR began a closer examination of the federal General Duty clause, Process Safety Management and Risk Management programs for ammonia refrigeration systems, built a new website section to highlight member resources, automated its peer review process for technical papers, and expanded events in Latin America in 2025.

Winter 2026

NRF Research Validates CO2 Standard

A new research project funded by IIAR’s Natural Refrigeration Foundation has validated a key calculation used in the ANSI/IIAR CO2-2021 Safety Standard for Closed-Circuit Carbon Dioxide Refrigeration Systems. The calculation is used to generate a formula that determines the CO2 relief valve sizing recommendations in the CO2 safety standard.

Winter 2026

IIAR 2026 Conference to Feature New Program, Expanded Exhibit Hours

IIAR’s annual conference will deliver a tech-heavy program this year, featuring two auxiliary training and certification programs from the Refrigerating Engineers & Technician’s Association, RETA, and the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council, NASRC, as well as thirty one sessions comprising six educational tracks and expanded exhibit hall hours.

Winter 2026

2026 IIAR Technical Papers Address AI, Heat Pumps, Data Centers

Heat pumps, real life stories from PSM coordinators and the use of AI in refrigeration and waste heat recovery for data centers are a few of the hot topics slated for discussion at IIAR’s 2026 conference in San Antonio. This year’s papers will address several categories spanning safety, CO2 optimization, heat exchangers, cold storage, ammonia charge and more. In addition, a series of panels and workshops will address many of the industry’s focus areas. This year’s papers will address several categories spanning safety, CO2 optimization, heat exchangers, cold storage, ammonia charge and more.

Winter 2026

NRF Unveils Legacy 100 Club

IIAR’s Natural Refrigeration Foundation unveiled a new fundraising effort intended to make the foundation financially secure as it funds scholarships and industry research into the next decade and beyond. The foundation said the new Legacy 100 Fund will be built by contributions of $100,000-each to induct 100 leaders of the refrigeration industry into the Club.

Winter 2026

Jeopardy-Style Conference Session will Highlight IIAR Standards

A new conference session format is brewing ahead of the IIAR annual conference in March according to IIAR conference planners. The session, which will take place during the event’s closing day will include a lively jeopardy-style question and answer format and will focus on IIAR’s standards.

Winter 2026

Water Contamination in an Ammonia Refrigeration System Leads to Higher Costs

In many closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems, water contamination can occur over a period of time and the effects of that contamination can easily go unnoticed. One thing water contamination can do is cause an aqueous ammonia solution to be formed, which then replaces anhydrous ammonia refrigerant. This problem can become continuous if it isn’t resolved and will increase over time if the source is not identified.

Winter 2026

Learning from the Past

I am sure that many of us have seen ammonia refrigeration systems that have operated for several decades, with equipment and system components functioning well past recommended operating life. This is a credit to manufacturers, installers, service technicians, and operators. Aging equipment and piping at some point will eventually require replacement. Or the system or portion of it may be decommissioned due to a business discussion.

Government Relations

OSHA Announces New “Safety Champions” Voluntary Program

In January 2026, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the creation of a new voluntary program called Safety Champions which has been added to the suite of cooperative programs (such as the OSHA Challenge and Voluntary Protection Program) administered by the agency.

Winter 2026

Welcome to San Antonio!

Welcome IIAR members and guests to the 48th IIAR conference, and welcome to San Antonio. While we’re still two years away from our truly historic 50th anniversary, I’d argue we’re entitled to start celebrating now. So much of the work we, and IIAR’s past leaders, have put into advancing natural refrigeration, is paying off these days.

Winter 2026

Ammonia Refrigeration: a ‘Century-Proof’ Technology

In 1926, ammonia was the dominant refrigerant for large-scale refrigeration applications. Leading up to that point, ammonia refrigeration played a key role in the industrial revolution, earning itself, along with other natural refrigerants, a reputation for being a “century-proof” technology. Spanning the late 1800s, when steam engines gave rise to the first basic mechanical refrigeration systems -- to 2026, when natural refrigerants and specialized equipment are able to deliver precise temperature control -- the natural refrigeration industry underpins many of the most important advancements of modern life.

Uncategorized

IIAR, TRA Announce New Partnership to Advance Natural Refrigerants in Thailand

The Thai Refrigeration Association, representing Thailand’s refrigeration and air conditioning industry, and IIAR signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a recent collaboration, giving TRA access to IIAR’s suite of standards and making it one of IIAR’s global partners.

MRBraz Expands Construction and Services Division with InterCool USA Integration

MRBraz & Associates, PLLC, announces the strategic expansion of its construction and services division through the integration of InterCool USA’s national infrastructure and technical expertise. This move marks a significant milestone in MRBraz’s commitment to delivering scalable, sustainable, and safety-focused refrigeration solutions across the Americas.