|
Washington, DC - Just two days after information from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report on potential terrorist attacks became public, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today introduced a bill to regulate ammonium nitrate -- a chemical used in many terrorist bombings, including al Qaeda-linked attacks. Hinchey's Ammonium Nitrate Security Act would regulate the sale of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer, to help ensure that the chemical never reaches the hands of a terrorist or criminal who could use it to make a bomb.
"Tracking the sale of ammonium nitrate is critical to stopping a potential terrorist attack before it occurs. This measure deserves Congress' full, immediate attention," Hinchey said. "Every day that Congress fails to regulate ammonium nitrate is another day for terrorists to get their hands on a chemical that could kill thousands of innocent Americans. We do not have the luxury of time when it comes to protecting ourselves from terrorist attacks."
Ammonium nitrate was a key ingredient in the bombs used in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and at the Bali nightclub attack in 2002. In the aftermath of these bombings, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) studied the feasibility and practicability of imposing controls on precursor chemicals used to manufacture explosives. The report concluded that ammonium nitrate is the explosive chemical likely to be the greatest threat in terrorist bombings. NAS recommended that at greatly increased threat levels, sellers of detonable nitrate fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate should be required to have licenses, and purchasers should be required to obtain permits. Hinchey's Ammonium Nitrate Security Act would implement the NAS recommendations and require: sellers of detonable ammonium nitrate fertilizers to be licensed and purchasers to obtain permits; facilities and individuals storing nitrate fertilizers to follow safety and security regulations from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to immediately report the theft or loss of ammonium nitrate.
Recent events involving the potential misuse of ammonium nitrate underscore the inadequacy of voluntary efforts and the need for federal regulation. In January, the ATF sent out a notice to industry associations letting them know that the agency received reports of someone claiming to be from a construction company who was looking to buy huge amounts of ammonium nitrate. Last August, an al Qaeda accomplice pleaded guilty to providing ammonium nitrate to members of the terrorist organization as part of a plot to blow up London pubs and train stations. In a separate plot to blow up the Everett Dirksen federal building in downtown Chicago, an ex-convict was arrested last August for trying to purchase 1,500 pounds of ammonium nitrate from undercover law enforcement agents. In July, a bulletin from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned of the growing threat from truck bombs in the U.S. and al Qaeda's frequent use of ammonium nitrate as a bomb component. Also that month, 3,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate was stolen from a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"The threat of ammonium nitrate getting in the hands of the wrong people is real," Hinchey said. "Voluntary efforts by industry groups to control the sale of ammonium nitrate are a good first step, but the risk of this deadly chemical getting into the hands of terrorists is too great to sit back, say that enough has been done, and not impose federal regulations. We need to act now to protect ourselves from future attacks."
Hinchey's Ammonium Nitrate Security Act is the first bill introduced in Congress to address the potential threat of the fertilizer. The congressman introduced the bill toward the end of the last Congress, but the measure did not move forward. Since the bill is being introduced much earlier in the new Congress, Hinchey intends to gather up cosponsors and make a strong push to get the measure passed.
South Carolina and Nevada are the only states that currently restrict the sale of ammonium nitrate. Oklahoma is instituting ammonium nitrate regulations next month. |
|