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Gov.
Blagojevich awards $535,000 in Anhydrous Ammonia Security Grant
funds to fight meth production
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Grants
will help agrichemical dealers protect their facilities from theft
[June 14, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has
awarded $535,000 in Anhydrous Ammonia Security Grant funding to 50
Illinois agrichemical dealers throughout the state. The funding,
announced May 25, will help these businesses secure their facilities
to prevent the theft of anhydrous ammonia, a farm fertilizer and key
ingredient used to manufacture methamphetamine. This is the second
installment of grants since the governor created the Anhydrous
Ammonia Grant program in August 2006 and furthers the governor's
efforts to reduce the production and manufacture of the illicit
drug.
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"Meth is a highly addictive
drug that threatens families and entire communities. This
program helps farmers and agrichemical dealers protect anhydrous
ammonia -- to keep the chemical out of the hands of meth
makers," Blagojevich said. The Anhydrous Ammonia Security
Grant initiative is a self-help program. It allows fertilizer
dealers to determine their own security needs and then
reimburses them for up to two-thirds of the cost of their
improvements. Eligible projects include the installation of
tamper-proof locks on ammonia tanks, the purchase of lighting
and video surveillance equipment, and blending of additives that
render the fertilizer useless in the production of
methamphetamine.
"It's a growing problem. More and more agrichemical dealers
are dealing with the theft of anhydrous ammonia at their
facilities. These grants provide businesses with necessary
funding to improve security and safety measures, which also will
help protect their bottom line," Agriculture Director Chuck
Hartke said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/reference/ads/current/bluedog%20bcard%20010107png.png)
"Partnering with the state of Illinois to enhance security
and prevent ammonia theft not only improves safety and security
at ammonia facilities, but also helps protect everyone in rural
Illinois who has been dealing with meth-related problems for
nearly a decade now," said Jean Payne, president of the Illinois
Fertilizer and Chemical Association. "It is our hope that we can
continue this valuable program in the future."
Meth has become a growing crisis in the
state of Illinois, with prison admissions rising from only six
in fiscal 1999 to 421 in fiscal 2004. The current prison
population for meth offenders is more than 800, with countless
others in prison who are believed to have committed their
offense while under the influence of the drug. In 2002, Illinois
State Police seized 668 meth labs statewide and made 820 related
arrests. By 2006, the number of seizures had grown to 786 and
accounted for over 1,100 arrests.
[to top of second column]
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2007/Jun/14/images/ads/current/business_directory_button.png) |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2007/Jun/14/images/ads/current/friendship%20manor%20lda%20060607.png) Throughout his administration, Blagojevich has taken several
actions to make it harder for meth producers to obtain ingredients,
and to stiffen penalties for manufacturers and users.
On May 22, the governor announced more than $5.2 million in
federal funds to help fight drug crimes in 64 counties throughout
Illinois. The funding will be distributed to 28 multi-jurisdictional
narcotics enforcement and narcotics prosecution units and will be
used to conduct undercover drug operations, crack down on
methamphetamine labs and prosecute drug offenders, among other
programs. (See previously posted
article.)
Last year, the governor created the meth prison initiative, which
included the creation of a 200-bed meth unit at the 667-bed
Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center in St. Clair County. For
fiscal 2008, the governor proposes expanding the Sheridan
Correctional Center from 950 offenders to its full capacity of 1,300
offenders, with 200 of those spaces to be used for another meth
unit. Inmates in both programs will have access to intensive
prison-based drug treatment programs, vocational training, job
preparation and mental health services, and their treatment will
continue under a highly supervised transition back to their
communities upon completion of their sentence.
A complete list of 2007 grant awards is
listed below.
[Text copied from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2007/Jun/14/images/ads/current/medicap%20bcard%20123006.png) |
Grant
applicant |
City |
Award amount |
Ag View FS Inc. |
Princeton |
$3,417.00 |
Ag-Land FS Inc. |
Pekin |
$54,631.13 |
Agri-Tech
Service Inc. |
Goodwine |
$2,080.00 |
A-Way Inc. |
Crescent City |
$670.00 |
Bolduc and Sons
Inc. |
Woodhull |
$2,640.00 |
Broadwell Farm Center |
Broadwell |
$600.00 |
Bunker Hill Supply |
Hutsonville |
$3,460.55 |
Cabery
Fertilizer Co. |
Cabery |
$2,365.10 |
Cameron Grain
Corp. |
Cameron |
$3,186.00 |
ChemGro Inc. |
Dallas City |
$10,000.00 |
Crop Production Services |
Mason City |
$1,000.00 |
Crop Production Services |
Marissa |
$2,901.24 |
Crop Production Services |
Melvin |
$1,666.65 |
Crop Production Services |
Wellington |
$2,548.00 |
Crop Production Services |
Saunemin |
$1,320.00 |
Crop Production Services
Inc. |
Yates City |
$3,527.48 |
Cupi's Ag
Center |
South Pekin |
$4,050.00 |
Doug Kline Crop Service
Inc. |
Casey |
$2,000.00 |
Earlybird Grain
& Fertilizer |
Stanford |
$14,217.00 |
East Lynn
Fertilizer Inc. |
East Lynn |
$6,386.65 |
Effingham
Equity |
Effingham |
$152,777.39 |
Evergreen FS
Inc. |
Bloomington |
$49,600.00 |
Farmers Exchange Fertilizer |
Farmersville |
$1,992.00 |
Harbach, Gillan
& Nixon Inc. |
Hopedale |
$2,760.00 |
HG&N / Randolph Ag Service |
Heyworth |
$1,206.00 |
Illiana Seed |
Danville |
$9,976.00 |
J.R.'s Crop
Service |
Reddick |
$3,234.00 |
Kohlbrecher Truck Service
Inc. |
St. Rose |
$1,265.00 |
Lincoln Ag Center Co. |
Lincoln |
$2,036.80 |
Lincoln Land FS Inc. |
Jacksonville |
$59,052.67 |
M & M Service Co. |
Carlinville |
$21,574.00 |
Maplehurst
Farms |
Rochelle |
$9,966.66 |
Michlig Agricenter Inc. |
Manlius |
$4,000.00 |
Miller
Fertilizer and Feed |
Cowden |
$2,234.45 |
Miller Fertilizer Inc. |
Martinsville |
$1,340.00 |
Myers Crop
Center Inc. |
Gridley |
$7,221.06 |
Okaw Crop Care |
Shelbyville |
$6,030.00 |
Okaw Farmer’s
Co-op |
Arthur |
$2,906.17 |
Peine Inc |
Minier |
$1,360.00 |
Perry Feed & Fertilizer
Inc. |
Timewell |
$10,720.00 |
Prairie States
Warehouse |
Danville |
$3,128.00 |
Shipman Elevator Co. |
Shipman |
$3,401.00 |
Sidell Agri-Services,
Inc. |
Sidell |
$4,130.27 |
St Clair
Service Company |
Belleville |
$3,615.07 |
Stonington
Fertilizer Inc. |
Stonington |
$2,000.00 |
Sunrise Ag Service Company |
Virginia |
$3,270.58 |
T/A Terminals
Inc. |
Meredosia |
$6,030.00 |
Top Ag Coop
Inc. |
Okawville |
$5,336.55 |
Tri Ag Inc. |
Emden |
$11,320.00 |
Twomey Company |
Gladstone |
$1,239.50 |
United Prairie
LLC |
Tolono |
$14,061.22 |
Westfield Grain
& Fertilizer Inc. |
Westfield |
$1,225.43 |
Westridge Agri-Services |
Tuscola |
$2,819.96 |
Total |
|
$535,496.58 |
|
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2007/Jun/14/images/ads/current/quality%20glass%20bca%20051107.png) |
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