Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Copyright: 2004 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Contact: http://www.knoxnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/226 Author: Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) METH CLEANUP RULES DON'T COME WITH FUNDS TULLAHOMA, Tenn. - Owners of property where agents raid methamphetamine makers in Tennessee should expect new rules for cleanups of hazardous residues but no state dollars to pay for the costs. "There's not any type of funds out there that I'm aware of right now," said Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens, chairman of Gov. Phil Bredesen's Methamphetamine Task Force. The state Department of Environment and Conservation has started working on cleanup rules, said Rep. Charles Curtiss, D-Sparta, a task force member. Starting those rules does not require additional legislation, Curtiss said. A new state law, when enforced, will require that contaminated property remain quarantined until a qualified industrial hygienist or other contractor informs law enforcement that it's safe for people. The task force is discussing how to respond to the state's methamphetamine problem. The group is expected to meet Aug. 2 and Aug. 16 in Nashville before making recommendations. While Federal Drug Enforcement Administration records for 2003 show there were 1,253 meth labs cleaned up in Tennessee, topping all states for the third straight year, there is no standard for cleanups of the sites. Curtiss said the federal government "has never set benchmarks about what is acceptable" in cleanups of meth-contaminated property. Curtiss said he was hopeful that high-tech detectors would soon become available for property owners "to alert them when anything like this is going on." - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager