Meth cleanup bill likely dead in water
By Joe Dunn
Associate Legislative Director
The NACo-supported Meth Remediation Research Act (S. 2019) appears to be dead because of a hold placed on the bill by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). With Congress in recess for the November elections, it is likely that the entire legislative process would need to start over next year in the first session of the 110th Congress.
A hold is an informal practice in the Senate that informs the leadership that a senator does not wish a particular bill to reach the floor. In this case, the bill was going to be brought up under a unanimous consent agreement until Coburn objected and stopped the bill from being considered.
The bi-partisan legislation would have authorized EPA to develop scientifically based voluntary cleanup standards for the remediation of former meth labs. Currently, there are no federal guidelines that advise property owners or state and local governments on the cleanup of former meth labs. Supporters of the legislation included NACo and key law enforcement organizations, such as the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Narcotics Officers of America Coalition.
The House version (H.R. 798), sponsored by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), passed in December 2005 by voice vote. The Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.), looked to be on a similar fast track in the Senate until Coburn placed a hold on the bill, effectively killing it until the hold is lifted.
Coburn’s staff has cited two main concerns about the bill: that the $18 million authorized for four years is excessive, and that this is not a federal responsibility. NACo and county officials in Oklahoma have tried to reassure Sen. Coburn’s staff that the bill merely provides authorization and the Appropriations Committee would need to follow through the annual appropriations process. Additionally, while several states have begun to look at meth contamination issues, none have the scope or expertise of the EPA.
Beyond the voluntary guidelines, the legislation outlined two other provisions. The first instructed EPA to hold a conference for state and local agencies to discuss the cleanup guidelines and to ensure that they are meeting local needs. Secondly, the bill would have authorized the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop new methamphetamine field and site detection technologies.
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