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The Phaseout of Methyl Bromide
OPP Fumigant Cluster Assessment
Soil Fumigant Pesticides, Including Methyl Bromide, Subject to New Safety Measures. News Release
Recordkeeping and Reporting
Methyl bromide (MeBr) is an odorless, colorless gas that has been used as a soil fumigant and structural fumigant to control pests across a wide range of agricultural sectors. Because MeBr depletes the stratospheric ozone layer, the amount of MeBr produced and imported in the U.S. was reduced incrementally until it was phased out in January 1, 2005, pursuant to our obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Protocol) and the Clean Air Act (CAA). Under the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act, the production and import phaseout for methyl bromide followed this schedule:
| 1993 to 1998 | Freeze at 1991 baseline levels (U.S. Consumption ~25,500 Metric Tons) (consumption = production + imports - export) |
| 1999 to 2000 | 25% reduction from baseline levels |
| 2001 to 2002 | 50% reduction from baseline levels |
| 2003 to 2004 | 70% reduction from baseline levels |
| 2005 | 100% phase out -except for allowable exemptions such as critical use exemptions agreed to by the Montreal Protocol Parties |
Allowable exemptions to the phaseout include 1) the Quarantine and Preshipment (QPS) exemption, to eliminate quarantine pests, and 2) the Critical Use Exemption (CUE), designed for agricultural users with no technically or economically feasible alternatives.