Bakersfield, Calif.-The U.S. Transportation Security Administration isn’t releasing any information about the Jan. 5 incident that closed the terminal and delayed several flights at Meadows Field Airport here. However, airport officials still think there’s a good likelihood it was triggered by fertilizer residue on a carry-on bag. Airport Director Jack Gotcher, who runs the busy hub that serves 100,000 passengers every year, told Green Markets it definitely wasn’t as reported in the media – honey packed in Gatorade bottles. “From what I understand it probably was some sort of nitrates,” Gotcher told Green Markets. “You can pick that up just by rolling your luggage across the lawn the day before.” He said the TSA alert was prompted when the fabric of the suitcase containing the honey was tested. Kern County is largely an agriculture community, and the passenger, who was detained and taken to the sheriff’s office before his release, is a farmer, Gotcher said. “It’s very possible that’s where it came from,” he added. He said that the honey in the five Gatorade bottles may have raised suspicions, and “once it got to that point the Hazmat people said you’ve got a positive for explosives and they call in the bomb squad.” At the time, TSA spokeswoman Suzanne Trevino told the media that screeners did their jobs and were right to be cautious, particularly after the Christmas day bombing attempt. “I think this was an example of TSA working well with the airport as well as with our partners in local law enforcement to ensure that passengers remain safe at all times,” Trevino said. That was the last official word from TSA.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain