Ammonium Nitrate Legislation Clears Committee on Homeland Security
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 26, 2007
April 26, 2007 - Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Congressman Peter T. King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, oversaw the swift mark-up and passage of “The Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007.” This bill will allow the Department of Homeland Security to regulate the sale and purchase of ammonium nitrate, in order to keep it out of the hands of terrorists while allowing it to be continually available for agricultural use.
Chairman Thompson issued the following statement regarding the legislation:
“The threat posed by these legal and abundant fertilizers was first realized by the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. After much effort on the subject, this legislation finally seals the lasting security holes by tightly regulating and tracking ammonium nitrate.
“This legislation not only better secures our communities from threats posed by inappropriate use of these materials; it also secures and enforces the legitimate uses of ammonium nitrate fertilizers by farmers across the country,” added Chairman Thompson.
Ranking Member King said the following:
"This legislation is yet another important step in securing our country against terrorist attacks," King said. "The bill will enable DHS to obtain knowledge of suspect ammonium nitrate purchases and purchase patterns, aid law enforcement counterterrorism efforts by creating a paper trail for crimes involving purchases of ammonium nitrate, and check individuals against the terrorist watch list. I am pleased to cosponsor this legislation with Chairman Thompson, and look forward to working in a bipartisan way to have this bill signed into law.”
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Democratic Staff: Dena Graziano or Todd Levett at (202) 225-9978.
Republican Staff: Chad Scarborough at (202) 226-8417.
