In 1987 an international group of scientists and Government Officials established the Montreal protocol, an agreement to control the use and release of CFC and to schedule a time frame for eliminating their production. This agreement is a historic step in the on going process of building consensus regarding environmental impact of CFC. Both the Montreal protocol and provisions for 1990 clean Air Act specify schedules for phasing out CFC production by year 2000. This forced a new wave of research and development in refrigeration technologies. Existing technologies are being adapted to new chemicals, processes are being refined to become more energy efficient, and innovative approaches to refrigeration are being tested.