First registered as a pesticide in the United States in 1961, methyl bromide is now approved for post-harvest application on more than 100 different crops. Some 59 million pounds of the chemical are used each year in this country alone, primarily in Florida and California. 

     Despite its widespread use, methyl bromide attracted little attention outside of agribusiness circles until a few years ago. But in December 1991, several major environmental groups began campaigning for a ban on the production and use of the gas -- not because of its toxicity, but because it is one of the most significant contributors to the destruction of the ozone layer. 

     Under the terms of the Clean Air Act, any chemical that presents a serious danger to the ozone layer must be be banned. Until the beginning of 1993, methyl bromide had escaped that fate. In fact, it was the only known ozone-depleting chemical remaining free of international regulation. But on the day before President Clinton took office, outgoing EPA Administrator William Reilly ordered U.S. companies to phase out production and importation of the pesticide by the year 2000. 

     That was bad news on many chemically dependent farms, including Florida citrus groves. It was thus not surprising that when Clinton was attempting to woo Florida's congressional delegation to support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in November, 1993, methyl bromide emerged as a bargaining chip. 
 
     The president was in a tough position, obligated to follow the dictates of the Clean Air Act but determined to get NAFTA through Congress. It didn't help that the two U.S. producers of methyl bromide are in his home state of Arkansas. Anyway, when U.S. trade representative Mickey Kantor wrote a letter assuring the citrus growers that he would work to ensure that their commercial interests are not affected by any future restrictions, some NAFTA opponents sensed a deal selling out ozone protection. 

     Did the administration make such a deal? It depends on whom you talk to. But the fact remains that when the EPA's new administrator, Carol Browner, signed a final ruling on ozone-depleting chemicals in November, 1993, the target date for getting rid of methyl bromide was January 1, 2001, a year later than the date originally announced. Quietly, methyl bromide had gotten a brief reprieve.