The Natural Refrigeration Review is a quarterly publication that contains technical articles, regulatory and code updates, industry news and information about IIAR activities and publications. It is distributed by email to all IIAR Members and IIAR Contact lists.
SUMMER 2026 THE NATURAL REFRIGERATION REVIEW
The Natural Refrigeration Review issues are available as PDF downloads for both lIAR members and non-members, or as individual article posts below. Click the button to view the full issue, or scroll through all the individual issue articles below.
2025 Conference Recap: Annual Meeting Sets New Record
More than 1,850 attendees participated in the International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration’s Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo in Phoenix, Arizona. The event provided the latest information on industry issues, technical knowledge and networking and as well as an opportunity to see new equipment for those involved in the natural refrigeration industry.
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IIAR Gives 2025 Awards for Presentation Excellence
Karel Israel Ortiz Reyes received the 2025 award for his technical paper presentation that examined “Encontrando el balance entre consumo energético y de agua en condensadores y torres de enfriamiento” (“Finding the balance between energy and water consumption in condensers and cooling towers”). James Booth of Sustainachem (Hannibal, MO) received the 2025 award for his technical paper presentation that focused on “Understanding Water Treatment Performance.”
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AIM Act Faces Uncertainty
Portions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act are under scrutiny as part of a broader deregulatory agenda, casting uncertainty over the future of U.S. climate policy for refrigerants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will reconsider the Technology Transitions Rule, while Congress is reviewing the Refrigerant Management Rule—two key components of the AIM Act framework.
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A Look Inside the “Big, Beautiful Bill”
President Trump has made it a top priority to pass a tax package that would make many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) permanent, as well as providing additional tax relief through policies such as no tax on tips. Republicans in Congress are planning to use the Budget Reconciliation process to move the “Big, Beautiful Bill” with the goal of completion before August recess.
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Mapping Global Standards for Industrial Refrigeration: IIAR’s International Committee Leads the Way
In 2023, the IIAR International Committee launched a far-reaching research initiative to catalog the standards and codes governing industrial refrigeration systems, especially those using ammonia and other natural refrigerants—across key international markets. The result of this initiative is a dataset that provides insights into the regulatory landscape of 14 countries across Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. This research is a milestone in IIAR’s international engagement and a valuable tool for advancing natural refrigerant adoption globally.
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NRF Fun Day Raises $40,000 for Scholarships and Research
The Natural Refrigeration Foundation’s Fun Day during the annual conference featured golf and Bingo, raising around $40,000 to support the foundation’s scholarships and research. “The golf event was a success with 100 golfers—68 individual golfers and eight President’s Brackets teams of four people—at the Arizona Grand Resort.
Read MoreIndustry Stakeholders Continue Work on Critical Task Guidelines
The Critical Task Guidance for Ammonia Refrigeration System Emergency Planning is a key resource designed to support employers, government regulators, and public safety responders in preparing for and mitigating ammonia-related incidents. The guidance, which was released in 2021, promotes a proactive approach to safety in facilities where ammonia refrigeration systems are in use and is currently being revised in response to feedback from users, regulatory agencies, and committee review. The first edition was developed by members of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR), Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA), Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), and Ammonia Safety and Training Institute (ASTI). It incorporated input from multiple regulatory bodies and aimed to provide foundational safety practices.
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IIAR Announces New Leadership Structure
The International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration said it has shifted IIAR’s leadership to a new, more sustainable structure, reorganizing internal Vice President roles to fully support IIAR’s mission. “Under this new structure, a core team of four executives will drive every aspect of IIAR,” said IIAR president Gary Schrift. “This change supports the IIAR executive committee’s and my efforts towards a sustainable organization."
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Refrigeration Industry Eyes Deregulation
The Trump administration is renewing its focus on deregulation, with potential rollbacks that could significantly affect the natural refrigerant and broader chemical safety industries. "The Trump administration is making deregulation a priority, and the goals are to reduce the number of regulations and reduce the cost of regulations. It's part of a broader effort across government, and some changes will have a direct impact on IIAR members,” said Lowell Randell, director of government relations for IIAR. “We don’t have many details on anything yet. It is all prospective and potential, but we can get clues from what happened in the first Trump administration.”
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Lesson Learned: The Value of Pre-Emergency Preparedness
Are you prepared? I think most of us think we are prepared, at least to deal with whatever we expect to happen. The trouble is that often what we come up against is not something we expected, therefore we are not prepared for that. For ammonia refrigeration whether a system has 400 lbs. or 40,000 lbs (or more) we should do pre-emergency planning and training. Having people, training, equipment, etc. in place and properly functioning before the emergency can greatly reduce the impact of an incident. The majority of people do not consider their preparation for an emergency, and only seriously think about what they should do after the emergency occurs.
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Emergency Preparedness Means Building Relationships
Emergency preparedness is often taught as a concept supported by three critical legs of a stool: government, public safety responders, and industry. Each leg plays a vital role, and the stability of the whole structure depends on the coordination of all three, making it important for those in the industry to foster strong relationships. If facilities and first responders work together and communicate in a way they can all understand, they have an advantage. "If you've trained your team operationally to a first responder level, which means that you can have the capabilities in to address first-responder related challenges, and if you do that together with a fire service on what they can do to support on that initial first 30 minutes, you're ahead of the ball game right off the bat,” Smith said.
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IIAR Releases State of the Industry Report
The International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration published its eighth State of the Industry Report, covering IIAR’s education, training and advocacy efforts as well as a look forward at the trends shaping the industry in the coming year.
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A Message From Our Conference Chair
I’m excited to welcome you to Phoenix as part of the 47th IIAR conference. It’s hard to believe that our organization recently blew past five decades of work on behalf of this industry! Much of that work happens at our annual conference, so welcoming you this year is more than just a hello, it’s a call to dig in, get involved, network, and help your colleagues carry on this awesome tradition of advancing natural refrigerants here and around the world.
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PFAS, Maine Moves Forward with Restrictions
As awareness of health-related concerns surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) increases, more and more states are taking action to limit the use of the substances, which are often referred to as forever chemicals.
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IIAR Releases Refrigerant Evaluator Tool
The International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration has released a “Refrigerant Evaluator Tool” to help IIAR members and others assess their refrigerant choices and evaluate their options as the Environmental Protection Agency phases out high global warming potential refrigerants.
Read MoreShifting Regulations and Sustainability Goals Drive Equipment Demand
The demand for industrial refrigeration equipment using natural refrigerants remains strong, driven by increased demand for cold storage capacity, regulatory requirements and corporate sustainability goals.
Read MoreNew York State Finalizes Rules Limiting HFCs
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has finalized regulations required by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act to reduce emissions from hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
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TRUMP STARTS SECOND TERM with Flurry of Executive Orders
Similar to Trump’s first term, he has taken action to withdraw the United States from international environmental agreements.
Read MoreFinancial Tech Tip
Charitable giving can take many forms. Whether you gift on an annual basis or you are planning to make a one-time gift, make sure you are maximizing the tax benefits associated with your gift. One way to do this is to compare gifting cash versus stock.
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IIAR Takes its Training on the Road for Trident Seafoods
IIAR serves as a valuable resource for education and training for its members, and took its training on the road, sharing information on IIAR, codes, standards, guidelines, and operational, testing and maintenance situations with end users from Trident Seafoods in Alaska.
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