This volume includes the transcript of the U.S. Congress subcommittee hearing held in June 2003 that discussed the status of the compound methyl bromide as it pertains to the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. The Clean Air Act is a U.S. federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level. 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 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 completely by January 1, 2005, pursuant to the U.S.'s obligation under the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act.

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. 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.

Methyl bromide: update on achieving the requirements of the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol: hearing before the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eighth Congress, second session, July 21, 2004.

Provides information on the scientific evidence that emissions from human uses of methyl bromide are depleting the ozone layer; the availability of economical and effective alternatives to the pesticide's agricultural uses; the effects of banning the pesticide on U.S. trade in agricultural commodities; and the EPA's authority under the Clean Air Act to exempt essential uses from the phaseout. Charts, tables and graphs.