Shortly after the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) developed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Protocol), the Congress added title VI to the Clean Air Act to supplement the Protocol’s terms and conditions. 1.) Effectiveness of Efforts to Identify Replacements Is Unclear

According to EPA, there are many chemical and nonchemical alternatives to methyl bromide. Methyl bromide and a number of pesticides that have been approved for use on pests now controlled by methyl bromide are included in this group of chemicals. If Mexico or other developing countries expand their use of methyl bromide, the environmental benefits gained by phasing out the pesticide’s use in the United States would be at least partially offset. We identified no current uses of methyl bromide in medical devices, and it appears that an exemption for this purpose would not be applicable. Less effective than methyl bromide. Specifically, we agreed to develop information on (1) the scientific evidence that human uses of methyl bromide contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, (2) the availability of economical and effective alternatives to methyl bromide, (3) the impact of the ban on U.S. trade in agricultural commodities, and (4) EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act, as amended, to grant exemptions to the ban for essential uses.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO provided information on the phaseout of methyl bromide in the United States, focusing on the: (1) scientific evidence that emissions of methyl bromide are depleting the ozone layer; (2) availability of economical and effective alternatives to the pesticide; (3) effects of banning the pesticide on U.S. trade in agricultural commodities; and (4) Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority under the Clean Air Act to exempt essential uses of methyl bromide from the phaseout.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) world scientists participating in the United Nation's Environment Programme believe that emissions of methyl bromide contribute significantly to ozone depletion; (2) although several chemical and nonchemical pest-control alternatives to methyl bromide are available, none are as economical and effective as methyl bromide; (3) if other countries continue to use methyl bromide after it is phased out in the United States, they will have an unfair advantage in international markets for the various agricultural commodities produced with the substance; and (4) the Clean Air Act does not authorize EPA to grant exemptions on producing and importing methyl bromide except for use in medical devices and for export to developing countries that have signed the Montreal Protocol.