TFI commends House approval of AN security bill

Washington-The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) announced that the U.S. House of Representatives approved the “Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007” (H.R. 1680) by voice vote Oct. 23. The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “TFI extends its sincere thanks to Rep. Thompson for his leadership in securing a common sense set of rules and regulations for the safe sale of ammonium nitrate,” said TFI President Ford West. “With this important legislation, the focus on our industry’s products remains on their beneficial role as a plant nutrient.” The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a regulatory system to help keep ammonium nitrate out of the hands of those with criminal intent. Specifically, the bill would require all producers, sellers, and purchasers who take custody to register with DHS. All registrations are to be checked against terrorist watch lists; in this regard, 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 ammonium nitrate sold. The bill, which does not preempt state law, requires all thefts or unexplained losses to be reported to federal law enforcement within 24 hours. The bill had been included on the suspension calendar for a floor vote, a procedure that the House of Representatives often uses on the floor to act expeditiously on relatively non-controversial legislation. Companion legislation in the Senate (S. 1463) was included as an amendment to the DHS appropriations bill, which was approved in July of this year. “We urge the House and Senate leadership to send this critical agricultural security legislation to the President’s desk so that it can be signed into law,” said West.