On Wednesday, June 24, the EPA in the Federal Register
released its latest version of the rule controlling exemptions for use of
ozone-depleting chemicals. The rule will allocate essential use allowances for
import and production of Class I ozone-depleting substances for calendar year
2009. The allocation in this action includes a new one for 63.0 metric tons of
chlorofluorocarbons for use in metered dose inhalers for 2009.
Essential use allowances enable a person to obtain
controlled Class I ozone depleting substances as part of an exemption to the
regulatory ban on the production and import of these chemicals, which became
effective Jan. 1, 1996. The EPA allocates essential use allowances for
production and import of a specific quantity of Class I substances solely for
the designated essential purpose. Medical devices and laboratories are
generally the two remaining exemptions.
