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2010 Critical Use Exemption Nominations from the Phaseout of Methyl Bromide

METHYL BROMIDE CRITICAL USE EXEMPTION

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On January 25, 2008, the U.S. Government transmitted to the Ozone Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) its sixth nomination for a critical use exemption (CUE) from the phaseout of methyl bromide (MeBr). This request is for the 2010 calendar year and amounts to 15.7 percent of 1991 baseline levels.

This nomination covers exemptions for 15 crops or uses, including tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, cucurbits, orchard replants, and post-harvest uses. This 2010 request represents a continued reduction from earlier years, due to the introduction of alternatives into the marketplace and other factors.

After the nomination is received, the Ozone Secretariat will forward the nomination package to the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee (MBTOC), an advisory group that provides technical expertise on methyl bromide to the Parties. MBTOC will review the nomination requests and make recommendations to the Parties. In November 2008, the Parties to the Protocol will meet and review the MBTOC recommendations for the continued production and import of methyl bromide for 2010 to meet authorized critical needs.

Progress and Prior U.S. Reductions

The operational framework for the critical use exemption process was created in a final rule published in the Federal Register, on December 23, 2004, in conjunction with the allowed quantities for 2005. EPA conducts annual notice-and-comment rulemakings to exempt methyl bromide production and import for approved critical users. Since the inception of the CUE program, the U.S. has received approximately 90% of its CUE request.

The following table details for each year the total amount of methyl bromide the U.S. government nominated for critical use and the amount approved by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

2005-2010 Critical Use Exemption Authorizations

Background on the Phaseout of Methyl Bromide

The Phaseout Schedule:
The U.S. obligation under the Montreal Protocol and the requirement under the Clean Air Act was to reduce methyl bromide production and net imports incrementally from the 1991 baseline until the complete phaseout in 2005, except for allowable exemptions agreed upon by the Parties, such as the critical use exemption. Under the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act, the production and import phaseout for methyl bromide followed this schedule:

Other exemptions include an unspecified quantity of methyl bromide for quarantine and preshipment uses, such as port fumigation of imported commodities.

For Further Information

Additional information on methyl bromide can be found at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr.

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