Washington, D.C.-The Fertilizer Institute on May 23 praised Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, for introducing the Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007 (S. 1463). The industry-supported bill is a companion to legislation approved last month by the House Homeland Security Committee (GM April 2, p. 11). “Through its creation of a uniform, national system for tracking ammonium nitrate sales, this bi-partisan bill helps ensure that this valuable fertilizer remains available for its intended purpose,” said TFI President Ford West. “We urge the Senate Homeland Security Committee to act swiftly to approve this key measure.” The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a regulatory system to help keep AN out of the hands of those with criminal intent. Specifically, the bill would require all AN producers, sellers, and purchasers to register with DHS. All registrations are to be checked against terrorist watch lists; the bill also includes provisions for expedited reviews of registration applications, notification of application status, and appeals process. In addition, the bill would require producers and sellers to maintain records of all sales for two years, including the producer’s name, address, phone number, and registration number, as well as the date and quantity of AN sold. The bill, which does not preempt state law, requires all thefts or unexplained losses be reported to federal law enforcement within 24 hours. Cosponsors of the bill are Sens. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), and Larry Craig (R-Idaho).
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