House passes bill establishing meth clean-up guidelines
Patriot Act dust-up blocks cold medicine sales restrictions
The House of Representatives unanimously approved the Methamphetamine Research Remediation Act, H.R. 798, Dec. 13. Now headed for the Senate, the bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency to develop model, voluntary, health-based clean-up guidelines for use by states and localities with the goal of making sure former meth lab sites are safe and livable.
Introduced by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) and co-sponsored by Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the bill also calls on the EPA to establish and conduct a research program to support the development and updating of these guidelines on an ongoing basis. That research would focus on topics such as identifying chemicals related to meth labs and production, better addressing the biological effects of meth and evaluating the performance of various meth lab cleanup and remediation techniques.
"The least we can do at the federal level is help arm communities and local governments, those engaged in this battle on the front lines, with the tools and research critical to the safe and effective management of lands contaminated by use and production of this toxic substance," Walden said.
The bill also authorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology to initiate a research program to develop meth detection equipment for field use. The equipment will help law enforcement agents detect active meth labs faster and assist in measuring levels of contamination in former meth labs.
NACo president Bill Hansell praised the passage of the bill.
"This is a much-needed first step and I applaud the House for passing H.R. 798," said Hansell. "Local governments need to have standardized guidelines for cleaning up meth labs. These guidelines should ensure that former meth labs are properly cleaned and made safe for future use. The public is well served by this bill."
According to the Congressional Research Service, each pound of meth produces about six pounds of hazardous waste. The waste is typically dumped along highways or into sewers, streams, rivers or the ground near the lab. In addition, cooking meth can infuse carpeting, walls and furniture with toxic chemicals.
"Unfortunately, there will always be people who decide to harm themselves by using and manufacturing dangerous drugs such as meth," said Gordon. "This bill takes an important step to protect innocent people whose lives are endangered by these illegal activities."
Combat Meth Epidemic Act
NACo may not have had a position in the fight over the reauthorization of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, but it did have a strong reason to see the bill passed - the Combat Meth Epidemic Act. Tacked onto the controversial measure, which was stymied in the Senate Dec. 15, the NACo-supported meth bill would restrict the availability of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine.
While the meth bill’s provisions are not controversial, the underlying patriot act bill faces an uncertain future. Sponsors of the legislation are continuing to push for freestanding meth legislation, and will be looking at a number of other bills that would broaden the range of tools to combat meth creation and use. NACo continues to support a comprehensive approach for dealing with the meth crisis.
The legislation contained in the Patriot Act measure would limit sales of pseudoephedrine to 3.6 grams per transaction and a monthly limit of nine grams.ÊIn addition, it would require that pseudoephedrine be sold from behind a counter or kept in a locked cabinet and that purchasers would need to show a photo-ID and sign a logbook.
The bill would also place new regulations on international producers, exporters and importers of pseudoephedrine and authorize $99 million for meth "Hot Spots" grants and $20 million for drug-endangered children programs.Ê The bill would not preempt tougher state restrictions on pseudoephedrine.
(Bev Schlotterbeck, executive editor, contributed to this story.)
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