[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 121 (Thursday, September 30, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S10069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BUNNING (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Nebraska):
  S. 2872. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide 
a credit to certain agriculture-related businesses for the cost of 
protecting certain chemicals; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the 
Agricultural Business Security Investment Tax Credit Act of 2004. I am 
pleased to join with my colleague from Nebraska, Senator Nelson, In 
supporting this important legislation.
  Security at our agricultural facilities has regrettably become a 
national concern in the last decade. While we saw agricultural products 
used for destruction in Oklahoma City in 1995, our concerns have only 
been compounded by the tragedies of September 11 and the threat of 
terrorism. The Senate recognized this growing concern when we 
considered agricultural products in the Federal hazardous materials 
lists in the USA Patriot Act of 2001.
  The American agricultural industry has already recognized some of the 
dangers on its own and has made significant strides in improving 
security. Shops throughout the country have started to invest in 
security measures to keep their chemicals and fertilizers from being 
used illegally. In 2003, the Agricultural Retailers Association 
published a web-based, security-vulnerability assessment tool and has 
cooperated with the USDA to secure farmers and ranchers.
  But vulnerability assessments often require as much as $50,000 to 
$100,000 in capital investment. Meeting these pressing security needs 
is not feasible for many of the more than 9,000 retail facilities with 
fertilizer and chemicals stocks in the United States.
  That is why it is important we enact this tax credit. The credit 
would equal 50 percent of the cost of eligible security upgrades at 
agricultural retail businesses and is capped at $50,000 during any 5 
year period. This money can be used for many different security 
programs, such as employee background checks, locking equipment and 
even the latest chemical additives that can render fertilizer unfit for 
illegal purposes.
  In my home State of Kentucky, fertilizer theft has become a serious 
problem and is contributing to a dangerous rise in the illegal drug 
trade. One common fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia, is stolen in large 
quantities and is a fundamental part of the production of some forms of 
methamphetamine. This problem is especially bad in rural areas where 
police officers in Kentucky are try to curb the problem by distributing 
locks to farmers and training them to identify the signs of a 
methamphetamine label.
  But these efforts are not enough. This legislation is an important 
step to ensure that America's agricultural facilities are secure. 
Without our action, many of the facilities throughout our country would 
simply be unable to fund security improvements. We cannot risk 
fertilizers and chemicals falling into the wrong hands and facilitating 
illegal drug manufacturing or terrorist bomb makers. I hope my 
colleagues will join Senator Nelson and me in supporting this important 
legislation.
                                 ______