US EPA issued notice on exemptions application for methyl bromide

The US EPA is providing notice of the process for submitting applications for critical use exemptions for 2018 and subsequent years. Critical use exemptions are exceptions to the phaseout of production and import of methyl bromide, a controlled class I ozone-depleting substance. Critical use exemptions must be permitted by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and must also be in accordance with the Clean Air Act and EPA regulations. Applications received in response to this notice will be considered as the basis for submitting potential nominations for critical use exemptions to future Meetings of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. Critical use exemptions allow production, import, and use of methyl bromide in the specific year for which the Parties to the Montreal Protocol permit the use. All entities interested in obtaining a critical use exemption must provide EPA with the technical and economic information outlined in this notice to support a “critical use” claim by the deadline specified in this notice, even if they have applied for an exemption in previous years.

 

Applications for critical use exemptions must be submitted to EPA no later than September 15 of the calendar year three years prior to the calendar year for which the exemption is sought. An application for a critical use exemption for calendar year 2018, for example, must be submitted by September 15, 2015.