In regional news, new evidence suggests that use of the fertilizer ammonium nitrate has significantly dropped recently,reports StateImpact Texas.Ammonium nitrate provides plants with nitrogen so they can thrive. But the fertilizer can also be deadly when mixed with substances like diesel fuel. Timothy McVeigh used ammonium nitrate to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City 20 years ago. And it caused a 2013 explosion at a farm supply business in the Texas town of West. Ten years ago, Texas farmers used 73,000 tons of the fertilizer. But in the last 12 months, usage has dropped to half of that number.
Much of the decline has to do with government regulation. Using ammonium nitrate requires extra paperwork and government inspections to make sure the substance is being stored correctly.