Louisiana Ammonia Producers
"It's What We Bring to the Table"
by Renee D. Verma
The Louisiana Ammonia Producers bring a lot to the table - from providing fertilizers that help farmers grow food to feed the world to recognizing the needs of our local emergency responders right here at home.

Made up of six companies operating seven ammonia plants across the state, the Louisiana Ammonia Producers are: CF Industries, Triad Nitrogen and PCS Nitrogen in Ascension Parish; Farmland Industries in Grant Parish; IMC-Agrico Faustina and Uncle Sam in St. James Parish and Koch Nitrogen in Quachita Parish.

When you take a closer look at the ammonia industry, you begin to see that their plate is quite full. "Since 1995, we have really made a concerted effort to keep our neighbors and community leaders informed about our operations. Since then we've worked extremely hard to bring good things to the table - not just through our fertilizers that help grow food, but also through our commitment to operate safe, clean facilities while protecting the environment and providing good jobs that support the economy," said Lou Frey, Plant Manager at CF Industries.

The industry produces nearly 5 million tons of anhydrous ammonia annually, and accounts for about half of the total ammonia consumed in the United States. The Louisiana ammonia industry provides jobs for some 969 permanent, full-time employees living in about 18 parishes and employs 467 part-time, temporary or contract employees. The total payroll for the industry is nearly $66 million annually not to mention more than $17 million in state and local taxes each year.

Safety and environmental performance is also a top priority of the Louisiana Ammonia Producers. Working with state and federal regulations and investing millions of dollars in environmental upgrades, these companies have made tremendous reductions is their EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) emissions. Since 1987, for example, the Louisiana Ammonia Producers have reduced overall TRI emissions by nearly 80% and continue to search for innovative ideas and projects to reduce these emissions even further. (See charts)

"When it's all said and done, I think people judge you not simply on your words, but on your actions. For the last five years, the ammonia industry has worked together to bring good programs and projects to our communities, and we hope they have helped make a difference," added Frey.

Two good examples of action-oriented programs that have been put in place by the Louisiana Ammonia Producers are the award-winning "Raising Radishes with Amazing Ammonia" fertilizer school kit program and the addition of an ammonia suppression training station to the Louisiana Emergency Response Training Center in Holden, Louisiana.

Raising Radishes With Amazing Ammonia
For the fifth year in a row, the Louisiana Ammonia Producers will donate about 250 fertilizer school kits to teachers across the River Parishes. This is part of a multi-year effort to discuss the benefits of ammonia produced in Louisiana and improve Louisiana students' math and science skills.

Since 1997, the Louisiana Ammonia Producers have targeted approximately 40,000 second graders in a six-parish region with the award winning school kits, which are designed to teach children about plant growth and how ammonia fertilizers help farmers grow enough food to feed the world.

"What's unique about the fertilizer school kit is its ability to educate children about the product we make -- ammonia -- and at the same time help teach them basic math and science skills at a very early age," said Bob Dennis Plant Manager of IMC Phosphates’ Faustina plant.

The Louisiana Ammonia Producers have worked with the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Resource Center for Educators (LRCE) since the inception of the program in 1997. Last year, the industry association partnered with the Department of Education to enhance the merits of the program.

"We all have a role to play in preparing our children for a competitive future, " said State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard. "I'm glad to see that the schools in the River Parishes have strong partners, and I urge more businesses to follow this example to improve learning. "

Picard went on to say that this effort is especially important in light of the new challenges facing students and schools with regard to school performance scores, which show how Louisiana public schools are doing in educating students. Each March, students take state tests, and fourth-and eighth-graders have to pass the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) test before advancing to the next grade.

The "Raising Radishes with Amazing Ammonia" lesson plan was originally developed in 1997 by Latrenda Knighten, a science specialist in East Baton Rouge Parish. Roxson Welch, a science consultant with LRCE, has also been involved by modifying the lesson plan to highlight the LEAP skills and providing kit training to teachers.

"Second grade is an opportune time to introduce children to these critical skills," said Welch. "The program uses fun activities to teach important lessons about chemistry and growing food, and the sooner we reach these children and excite them about learning, the better they will do in school. "

The school kits have been made available for use in second grade classes in both public and private schools in Ascension, Assumption, St. John, St. James, St. Charles and parts of Iberville parishes.

"This is a pivotal time for Louisiana education, and I want to commend the River Parish companies for continuing to put their money and their time into a meaningful program that is making a real difference in the classrooms in their communities," concluded Picard. "Businesses can do much more for their schools than dip into their pocketbooks -- they can offer their expertise and their vision with programs like this one."

To learn more about the ammonia fertilizer school kits or for a copy of the teacher lesson plan, please visit our web site at www.lammonia.com.

Ammonia Suppression Training Station
In 1995 the Louisiana Ammonia Producers recognized the need for a permanent facility to educate and train the personnel who are the first responders in the event of an ammonia release.

At a cost of $500,000 the Louisiana Ammonia Producers constructed and donated an ammonia suppression training station at the Louisiana Emergency Response Training Center located in Holden, about 30 miles east of Baton Rouge. The facility was dedicated in 1996 and is operated by the Louisiana State Police.

The ammonia suppression training station is the only facility of its kind in the southeast United States. The facility provides hands-on experience for trainees in live - not simulated - ammonia releases. "That's one of the things that makes it so attractive to local emergency responders," said Sergeant Carl Bennett, LERTC Facility Administrator.

Sergeant Bennett added that the training is controlled and supervised by HAZMAT professional trainers. "Since 1996, we've had about 1,200 people participate in the ammonia suppression training. About 960 of these trainees were from Louisiana and the rest were from as far as Canada and Mexico," noted Bennett.

Plant personnel, local emergency response personnel and others involved in public safety and emergency response are the most common trainees at the site.

"There are eight ammonia producing companies in Louisiana, and all of our on-site emergency responders and off-site local emergency responders are trained at the ammonia suppression training facility on a continuous basis," said Bobby Shackelford, General Manager, Triad Nitrogen.

Training sessions include classroom instruction on the properties of ammonia and rehearsals with the equipment used in suppressing an ammonia leak. Classroom instruction is followed live drills with actual controlled releases of ammonia. Trainees work in groups of five and seven responders to approach a leaking pipe or flange under a curtain of water, which absorbs the ammonia. Live training sessions are taped, reviewed and critiqued.

"When our employees and local emergency responders complete the ammonia suppression training course, they know they have the skills and knowledge to do their job and do it well," Shackelford said. "Keeping our product in the pipe will always, of course, be our first priority, but in an emergency situation, knowing that our responders are trained and prepared is the key to safety, and that's what the ammonia suppression training facility at Holden brings to the table."

For more information on the Ammonia Suppression Training Facility or the LERTC, please contact Sergeant Carl Bennett at 504-878-1956 or visit the web site at www.lertc.com.