Nebraska farmers and fertilizer dealers are working together with members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation to fix a misguided regulatory proposal by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) related to the storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer. “The regulatory proposal was initiated under a false premise, is unnecessary, and will cost Nebraska cooperatives and Nebraska farmers millions of dollars collectively,” said Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson.
Anhydrous ammonia is a common fertilizer product used by Nebraska farmers and sold by Nebraska cooperatives and fertilizer dealers. In July of 2015, OSHA reversed a long-standing policy of exempting anhydrous ammonia retail facilities from extensive federal regulations governing management of hazardous chemicals. OSHA initiated the changes as a direct result of an explosion at a fertilizer company in West, Texas in April of 2013. While anhydrous ammonia was present at the Texas facility, its presence was not a contributing factor to the explosion.
Congressman Adrian Smith introduced the Fertilizer Access and Responsible Management (FARM) Act, which would repeal these new OSHA regulations. U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer has also led the charge in the U.S. Senate to address this critical issue.