NEWS BRIEF

May 14, 2007

Methyl Bromide Inventory Continues Downward Trend

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

The methyl bromide inventory held by U.S. companies at the end of 2006
continues to shrink, according to data released by EPA today.  The data
show a steady decline in the inventory since 2003, when the Agency began
collecting such information.  

 Methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting chemical that has been used as a
general pesticide across a wide range of agricultural sectors for many
years.  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.  

The data that EPA is releasing includes, in aggregate form, the
inventory held by approximately 35 companies in the United States at the
end of 2006.  The methyl bromide inventory data, displayed graphically
below, shows a steady decline – approximately 16,422 metric tons in
2003, 12,994 metric tons in 2004, 9,974 metric tons in 2005, and 7,671
metric tons in 2006 – and demonstrates that the United States
continues to manage its domestic inventory appropriately.

The phaseout of new production and import, and the orderly reduction in
the existing inventory, are facilitating a transition to alternatives in
a manner consistent with previous successful phaseouts of
ozone-depleting substances, such as chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) and
halons.  The United States 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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