NEWS BRIEF

September 7, 2006

EPA Methyl Bromide Inventory Data Shows Downward Trend

Contact:  John Millett, (202) 564-4355 - millett.john@epa.gov

Today EPA released data showing a steady decline in the aggregate methyl
bromide inventory held by companies in the United States since 2003,
when the Agency began collecting such information.  

Methyl bromide is a widely used soil fumigant that is also a powerful
ozone-depleting substance.  Under the Montreal Protocol on Substances
that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Clean Air Act, the United States
phased out new production and import of methyl bromide, except for
allowable exemptions for users who have no technically and economically
feasible alternatives.  Methyl bromide needs for these critical uses are
met through allowable production under the Montreal Protocol’s
exemption process as well as the use of existing inventory held by
companies in the United States.

EPA’s release of the aggregate inventory numbers was made possible by
the conclusion of two lawsuits that had been brought to prevent the
release of the aggregate data.  The data includes, in aggregate form,
the inventory held by approximately 35 companies in the United States
from 2003 to 2005.  The methyl bromide inventory data, displayed
graphically below, shows a continued decrease – approximately 16,422
metric tons in 2003, 12,994 metric tons in 2004, and 9,974 metric tons
in 2005 - and demonstrates that the United States is managing its
domestic inventory appropriately.

Since 1994, the U.S. Government has invested over $150 million in
research and innovative technologies to promote alternatives to methyl
bromide.  In addition, U.S. farmers have adopted innovative technologies
to reduce methyl bromide use and emissions, such as reduced methyl
bromide concentrations in mixtures, and the use of tarps to retain
methyl bromide in the soil for longer periods of time.

While not as highly damaging to the ozone layer as other chemicals that
have already been phased out (like chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs),
scientists have reaffirmed its status as a powerful ozone-depleting
chemical.  The World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations
Environment Programme 2006 Scientific Assessment recently affirmed that
bromine continues to play a major role in stratospheric ozone depletion.
 The ongoing transition to methyl bromide alternatives continues to be
an important priority for EPA.

The phaseout of new production and import and the orderly reduction in
the existing inventory that facilitates transition to alternatives are
proceeding in a manner consistent with previous successful phaseouts of
ozone-depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and
halons.  The U.S. continues to protect the ozone layer and meet its
obligations under the Montreal Protocol while meeting the needs of
American farmers.

For more information on the phaseout of methyl bromide, please visit:  
HYPERLINK "http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr"  http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr 

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