Summary

In 2007, the 110th Congress enacted legislation requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a uniform, national regulatory system for securing ammonium nitrate, a key crop nutrient. On Aug. 2, 2011, DHS released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the creation of an Ammonium Nitrate Security Program designed to ensure that ammonium nitrate does not end up in the hands of those who could cause harm.

Background

Ammonium nitrate is a valuable fertilizer that is used by agricultural producers around the world, including farmers in the United States where it accounts for approximately two percent of all nitrogen fertilizer use. When used properly, ammonium nitrate is a safe and beneficial fertilizer that contributes to healthy soil and crops in many countries throughout the world.

Unfortunately, several tragic events around the globe have demonstrated that ammonium nitrate may be manipulated and used for harmful and criminal purposes. This was evidenced in the United States on April 19, 1995, when a bomb made with ammonium nitrate was detonated outside of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., killing 168 people.

Following the Oklahoma City tragedy, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) collaborated with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to launch an educational campaign aimed at raising awareness among the agriculture community in order to ensure that ammonium nitrate does not end up in the hands of those who could cause harm.

As a result of September 11, 2001 and the formation of DHS, the Institute’s voluntary educational outreach efforts began to shape the development of federal legislation aimed at securing ammonium nitrate. In 2007, the 110th Congress enacted legislation requiring DHS to create a uniform, national regulatory system for securing ammonium nitrate.

On Aug. 2, the DHS released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the creation of an Ammonium Nitrate Security Program.