ISCD Publishes New Ammonium Nitrate Fact Sheet

Today the CISA Infrastructures Security Compliance Division (ISCD) published a link to a new ammonium nitrate fact sheet on the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) Knowledge Center. The fact sheet explains how the CFATS program addresses the two different forms of ammonium nitrate (AN) found in commerce in the United States. There is no new information or program interpretation provided in this fact sheet.

The CFATS program has two different entries for AN in Appendix A to 6 CFR 27, the list of DHS chemicals of interest (COI). The new fact sheet explains that the first listing in Appendix A is for forms of AN that are listed as DOT Division 1.1 explosives. Those forms of AN are addressed in the CFATS program as either a release-explosives (5,000-lb STQ) or theft-explosives security risk (400-lb STQ). Any commercial grade of AN that is a Division 1.1 explosive is covered under this listing in Appendix A.

The second listing for AN is for all other grades of ammonium nitrate where AN is at least 33% of material. This form of AN is addressed in the CFATS program as a theft-improvised explosive device precursor (IEDP) (2,000-lb STQ) security risk.

Facilities that have an amount of AN on hand in excess of the STQ for the form described above have a duty to complete a Top Screen submission to CISA so that ISCD can determine if the facility is at high-risk of terrorist attack and thus covered under the provisions of the CFATS program.