HOUSE PASSES SCIENCE COMMITTEE BILL TO ADDRESSS
METH CONTAMINATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 13, 2005 – By voice vote, the House of Representatives today passed H.R. 798, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2005, which would provide guidance to state and local authorities on how best to respond to and cleanup methamphetamine labs.

H.R. 798, sponsored by Science Committee Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN), Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA), and Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), would help states deal with the growing methamphetamine, or “meth,” problem by developing guidelines for the cleanup and remediation of former meth labs, providing guidance to first responders who enter suspected meth labs, and establishing a research program to study the environmental and safety risks associated with meth contamination.

The legislation has been endorsed by several law enforcement, government and business organizations, including the National Association of Counties, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Realtors, the National MultiHousing Council and the National Apartment Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition.

“Meth abuse is an epidemic in many parts of our nation and I am happy to report that Congress is moving to combat this problem,” said Chairman Calvert.  “H.R. 798 addresses the horrific environmental impacts of meth labs by establishing procedures and standards needed to decontaminate a site where a methamphetamine lab is found so our communities can more thoroughly remediate these sites.”

Speaking on the House floor today, Chairman Boehlert said, “Over the past decade, methamphetamine, or meth, has spread across the country, killing individuals, destroying families and devastating communities.  The meth epidemic needs to be attacked on many levels, but we also have to deal with the harmful residues that meth leaves behind in homes and in the soil.” 

Boehlert added, “States and localities are struggling to protect the public from the adverse effects of meth, yet there are no national guidelines on how to remediate a residential lab for reoccupation or what levels of residues are safe.  States have become increasingly concerned about the cleanup and remediation issues related to meth labs, and state officials and law enforcement have requested assistance in dealing with the growing number of small labs in their states, particularly those located in residential settings.  H.R. 798 should go a long way toward giving states the assistance they need to protect the wider population from meth residues.” 

“For every pound of methamphetamine manufactured, five pounds of waste is created,” Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI) said.  “Residual in labs is a terrible thing - it is a horrible thing - and we must have a systematic way to deal with that residual as we are working on ways to deal with the drug itself.  This bill is a tremendously good start in that direction.”

“This bill addresses a growing concern back home,” said Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-IN).  “Everyone in Southern Indiana is painfully aware of the tragic toll meth has taken on our communities.  The danger from the meth crisis is great.”

The number of meth labs discovered across America is growing at an alarming rate.  In 2004, the Drug Enforcement Agency busted more than 17,000 domestic meth labs, which are often located in rented apartments or motel rooms.  After labs are busted, serious questions remain as to the extent of the contamination that is left behind and the most effective methods to clean the properties for reoccupation.

At a March 3 Science Committee hearing, state and local officials testified that they simply do not know enough about the environmental and safety dangers of the chemicals used in meth production, and the threat they pose to first responders who enter the labs or to third parties who often reoccupy the premises. 

Witnesses at the hearing, including local law enforcement officials, endorsed H.R. 798 citing the urgent need for the research and guidelines provided for in the bill.

H.R. 798 requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a research program to study the environmental contamination associated with meth labs and to establish voluntary guidelines for cleaning up former labs that states could then adapt or adopt.  It also calls on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help develop test kits that states and localities could use to identify meth labs. 

The legislation authorizes annual appropriations from fiscal year (FY) 2006 through FY 2009 of $3 million for EPA and $1.5 million for NIST. 

H.R. 798 is based on legislation originally authored by Rep. Gordon.  The final bill is the product of negotiations among Gordon, Calvert and Boehlert.  The compromise that resulted from those negotiations was approved as an amendment to the bill in Committee.

Identical legislation has also been introduced in the Senate (S.2019) by Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Max Baucus (D-MT). 

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