Pubdate: Tue, 25 Dec 2007
Source: Record, The (Stockton, CA)
Copyright: 2007 The Record
Contact:  http://www.recordnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/428
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?208 (Environmental Issues)

BUSH SIGNS MCNERNEY'S METH TOXINS CLEANUP BILL

SACRAMENTO - President Bush has signed into law a bill  co-sponsored 
by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, to  help clean up 
methamphetamine labs and the toxic mess  they leave behind.

Bush signed HR365 late last week. The proposal requires  the 
Environmental Protection Agency to set guidelines  for federal aid to 
state and local authorities charged  with cleaning up former meth lab sites.

"Meth use is a critical problem for so many parts of  the country, 
including the Central Valley," McNerney  said. "Frequently, meth labs 
are located in residential  neighborhoods. Innocent people could be 
put at undue  risk from the toxic residue that remains after meth 
production in that home or hotel room is abandoned."

The legislation also aids in the development of field  test kits for 
meth that law enforcement can use to  locate meth labs and identify 
any toxins around them;  police officers have been overcome by the 
fumes from  old meth labs in the past.

The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that more  than 350 
California meth labs were seized in 2006, many  in the Central Valley 
and the Mother Lode.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom