House Looks To Limit Fertilizer Sales

CAPITOL HILL (AP) -- People who want to buy, sell or produce ammonium nitrate fertilizer may soon need to check in with the government first.<br/><br/>It's a substance of choice for terrorists to make

Tuesday, October 23rd 2007, 8:15 pm

By: News On 6

CAPITOL HILL (AP) -- People who want to buy, sell or produce ammonium nitrate fertilizer may soon need to check in with the government first.

It's a substance of choice for terrorists to make bombs.

The House has voted to require the sales and purchases of ammonium nitrate to be registered with the Department of Homeland Security. The bill also makes producers and sellers maintain sales records.

The department would check purchases against terror watch lists while retailers who refuse to sell to customers would receive civil liability protections.

Ammonium nitrate fertilizer was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the 2002 attack on a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia, and the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.