March 4, 2005, Friday FINAL EDITION

SECTION: LOCAL NEWS; Pg. B1; INFOBOX

LENGTH: 657 words

HEADLINE: Meth bill focuses on cleanup Lawmakers aim for national norms for former labs.

BYLINE: Michael Doyle BEE WASHINGTON BUREAU

California would get better guidance on cleaning up methamphetamine lab sites under a House bill that showed some national appeal Thursday.

With illegal meth production now spread far beyond its Central Valley roots, lawmakers are pressing for a broader approach. This would include funding more research and helping address the labs' lengthy toxic shadows if the latest bill passes.

"We know very little about how much damage results from this aspect of the meth problem, or about how to clean up and remediate former meth labs," said New York Republican Sherwood Boehlert, chairman of the House Science Committee. "States are struggling with this problem with little information."

Boehlert is pushing what he calls the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act. Unlike other meth-related bills, it's not designed to send dealers to prison longer or to shut off supply chains. Instead, with a relatively modest authorization of $4.5 million a year, the bill targets the toxic residue of meth production.

The legislation orders the Environmental Protection Agency to draft the first national uniform standards for cleaning up former meth-producing sites.

State and local governments could then adopt these standards, replacing the hodgepodge that currently exists.

"I think it's a great idea," said Bill Ruzzamenti, director of the Fresno-based Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

"The problem is, not only are the standards different around the country, there are different standards within California."

Using a combination of federal, state and local officers, the Central Valley HIDTA targets meth production between Sacramento and Bakersfield. It can be messy business in a state where 673 meth labs and dumpsites were seized last year.

Four or five pounds of toxic byproducts typically remain for every pound of meth produced, law enforcement officials say.

In one University of Washington survey presented Thursday, 54% of the police officers and firefighters who responded to illegal meth seizures reported headaches, mucous membrane irritation or other symptoms of chemical exposure.

Although there are standard rules for what Ruzzamenti termed the "initial remediation" of a meth lab, he noted the final cleanup is often up to individual county health officials. So while some California counties condemn property outright once it's been used for a meth lab, others simply air it out and allow reuse.

Ruzzamenti recalled one San Joaquin Valley farmer north of Fresno who "ended up losing his ranch" two years after his 100-acre orange orchard was condemned following seizure of meth-related materials. And yet, Ruzzamenti said, some farmers maintain that some of the materials used in meth production -- like red phosphorous -- are no worse for crops than standard farm chemicals.

"Having some standard is better than no standard," Ruzzamenti said, "and having voluntary guidelines is better than having no guidelines."

Seven states -- Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee and Washington -- have established specific methamphetamine decontamination standards.

The legislation would give the EPA one year to develop cleanup guidelines, and also direct the National Academy of Sciences to examine the unanswered questions about the health and environmental effects of meth labs.

The reporter can be reached at mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com or (202) 383-0006.