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Pastimes : Hockey :: Stanley Cup Playoffs
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To: siempre33 who wrote (231)4/15/2014 9:37:06 AM
From: joseffy   of 284
 
EPA ban puts Minnesota's ice rinks in tough position
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Pioneer Press ^ | 4-13-14 | Nick Ferraro


The clock is ticking for Minnesota's indoor ice rinks.

By 2020, the refrigerant chemical now used at half the state's 240 arenas to make ice no longer will be manufactured or imported into the U.S. as part of a global effort aimed at ridding the world of greenhouse gases linked to depletion of the ozone layer.

The phaseout of the odorless gas R-22 is expected to be costly for arenas -- most of which are publicly owned -- because of an anticipated rise in its cost. After the deadline, arenas still will be able to use the refrigerant gas for existing cooling systems, but the supply will be limited to what is left over and reclaimed and recycled.

To what extent cities will be affected financially will depend on the R-22 market after the deadline, as well as the age of their ice-making equipment and if they plan to upgrade it, said Craig Flor, president of the Minnesota Ice Arena Manager's Association.

"This isn't impending doom for us," Flor said. "But there is a lot of concern because the big unknown is cost and funding."

Cities with decades-old cooling systems could swap them out with ones that use an environmentally friendly chemical, but at a cost that could push $2 million.

Some, such as Hastings and West St. Paul, say they plan to roll the dice and budget for the cost of leaks that could spring up from time to time until there is money to upgrade.

(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
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