| News
from Rep. Stephanie Herseth
HOUSE APPROVES METH REMEDIATION BILL Herseth Helps Pass Bill to Assist Rural Communities in Clean Up of Meth Labs February 7, 2007 – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act, which will help communities clean up methamphetamine labs and the toxic environment that often remains. U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth, co-chair of the House Rural Working Group, is a leader in the House effort to fight meth in rural areas across the country and was an early supporter of this legislation. The Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop health-based guidelines to assist state and local authorities in cleaning up former meth lab sites. Meth labs are often found in residential settings, such as houses, apartments and hotel rooms. Because the chemicals used in making meth are highly volatile, the toxic residue left threatens the health of the next person to occupy that space. Herseth said, “The passage of this bill will help rural America, including communities in South Dakota, deal with the toxic mess left behind by the production of meth. By establishing best practices and developing a smart partnership with state, local and federal authorities, we can ensure that communities can safely recover and move on without putting the future health of citizens at risk.” Herseth noted that the 2006 National Drug Threat Survey of state and local law enforcement agencies across the country, meth was named most often as the greatest drug threat in communities. The statistics on meth are startling; the Drug Enforcement Agency reported that more than 29,500 meth labs were seized and shut down in 2004 and 2005. According to Newsweek magazine, meth lab seizures in South Dakota increased by 343% between 2000 and 2004. And the Office of National Drug Control Policy stated that, during the Fiscal Year 2002, 16.9% of the federally-sentenced defendants in South Dakota had committed a drug offense; more than half of those drug cases involved methamphetamine. In addition to establishing key guidelines for cleaning up former meth lab sites, the bill will also:
Herseth is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raise the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interest: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Resources. # # # |
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