Fact Sheet - EPA RELEASE OF AGGREGATED 2006 METHYL BROMIDE INVENTORY DATA

On May 14, 2007, EPA released data about the size of the aggregate methyl bromide inventory held by U.S. companies at the end of 2006, which shows a steady decline since 2003, when the Agency began collecting such information.
On September 7, 2006, EPA released similar data for years 2003, 2004, and 2005. 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.

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. 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 pre-phaseout inventory held by companies in the United States.
EPA released aggregated inventory data for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005 on September 7, 2006 after the conclusion of several lawsuits regarding the confidentiality of that data. Methyl bromide inventory is held by approximately 35 companies in the U.S. EPA is treating aggregated 2006 inventory data in the same manner as the 2003-2005 data.

Additional information on the methyl bromide phaseout can be found at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr.
For further information about this action, contact Aaron Levy of EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Programs at (202) 343-9215 or at levy.aaron@epa.gov