Washington-The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) on July 27 praised members of the Senate for approving the “Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007” (S.1463). The bill was included as an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, which was approved by a vote of 89 to 4 by the Senate July 26. The ammonium nitrate legislation was sponsored by Senate Homeland Security Committee State, Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.). “We are grateful to Sen. Pryor for his leadership and tireless efforts to move this critical legislation forward,” said TFI President Ford West. “With this legislation in place, ammonium nitrate will be preserved for its intended purpose by America’s farmers.” The bill would require DHS to create a regulatory system to help keep ammonium nitrate out of the hands of those with criminal intent. A companion bill was introduced by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and approved earlier this year by the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology. Specifically, the bill would require all producers, sellers, and purchasers who take custody to register with DHS. In addition, the bill would require producers and sellers to maintain records of all sales for three years, including the producer’s name, address, phone number, and registration number, and the date and quantity of ammonium nitrate sold. The bill requires all thefts or unexplained losses be reported to federal law enforcement within 24 hours. “We urge the Senate-House conference committee to act quickly to send this important security measure to the President so that it can be signed into law,” said West.
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