TREASURY NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 1998
RR-2271

The Treasury Department released today its Progress Report on the Study of Marking, Rendering Inert, and Licensing of Explosive Materials as required by the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.

The Progress Report marks another step in the Clinton Administration's efforts to give law enforcement the tools it needs to reduce violent crime through bomb detection and investigation of criminal misuse of explosives.

"Detection and identification technologies hold great promise for helping law enforcement prevent bombings and catch bombers," said Treasury Under Secretary for Enforcement Raymond W. Kelly. "We're working to ensure that the ultimate use of taggants is as effective and safe as possible."

The report identifies and evaluates a number of promising technologies that could be used to trace explosives used in bombings. The next steps outlined in the report will enable Treasury to determine the best uses of these technologies, including those commonly known as taggants.

As part of the review, ATF contracted with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a parallel study, which will be issued tomorrow. ATF and Treasury already are working on several of the areas identified in the NAS review for further study.