KANSAS LEFT OUT OF FUNDING LOOP FOR METH CLEANUP

Kansas in recent years routinely has ranked in the upper echelon of states
with the largest number of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories under
investigation, law enforcement authorities agree.

But if the federal government has its way -- and it has so far -- Kansas
will receive no federal funding to assist local law enforcement agencies in
cleaning up the hundreds of labs they will discover.

"In an environment where Kansas has really targeted meth lab production,
it's really an unfortunate turn of events," said Don Brown, Gov. Bill
Graves' spokesman. "We're obviously limited at a state level, so the
governor's idea was to ask for some help."

Brown referred to a letter sent this month to Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., in
which Graves disagreed with a portion of the Consolidated Appropriations Act
of 2000. The act earmarked more than $35 million for states and regions to
fight meth labs, but Kansas was left out. Graves pointed out in his letter
that Kansas ranks third among states in number of meth labs, behind only
California and Missouri.

"Government has already made a commitment to the citizens of Kansas in this
area," Brown said. "We don't want to have to turn around and hang the
responsibility on them. If we as a society are paying for these costs, why
doesn't Kansas get its fair share?"

The Drug Enforcement Agency last year spent an estimated $1.2 million in
Kansas for the removal and disposal of meth labs, which Attorney General
Carla Stovall in May 1999 said was Kansas' "No. 1 concern."

Without federal help, Kansas will have to shoulder the entire cleanup
expense, and Graves estimated the explosion of meth seizures would cost the
state about $2 million this year.

The Shawnee County Sheriff's Department and the Kansas Bureau of
Investigation already have seen the increase. From Jan. 1 to April 15,
Shawnee County sheriff's narcotics agents seized 15 labs -- more than double
the number seized during the same period last year. KBI agents have assisted
in the cleanup of those labs and 228 across the state.

Last year saw a skyrocketing number of meth labs in Kansas. KBI statistics
show the agency seized 511 labs in 1999, and special agent Sondra Gonzalez
said projections estimate the KBI will seize more than 1,000 labs this year.

"Summertime's just around the corner," Gonzalez said, "and that's when
they're going to be out in full force."

The money issue has led local authorities to ponder how law enforcement will
dispose of meth labs in the future. A collection of about a dozen city and
state officials last week began discussions that should decide whether a
Shawnee County agency will take over where the DEA left off.

The Household Hazardous Waste program, a division of the Shawnee County
Recycling department, is determining whether contracts it has with the state
and with owners of a private landfill will permit it to dispose of hazardous
chemicals commonly used in methamphetamine production.

"I think it's doable, but we still need to work out all the details," said
Kim Nettleton, county recycling director. "We probably will have to charge
for it, but it won't be anywhere near what they're paying right now. It'll
be pennies on the dollar."

Exact figures for the cost of a meth lab cleanup were unavailable, but
sheriff's Capt. Rick Hladky said an average lab could cost as much as $5,000
to dispose of properly.

"Just a small lab with a few Mason jars could cost quite a bit," Hladky
said. "But it's still expensive, whether you've got a cup or 10 gallons."

Kansas isn't unprepared when it comes to funding some lab cleanup, however.
Mike Heideman, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment, said Graves and the 1999 Legislature set aside $787,583 with
the passage of the Chemical Control Act. The money was designated for a
statewide meth lab cleanup program to be used in fiscal year 2000, which
ends June 30.

"With the cutoff in federal funding, obviously it's going to be a challenge
for us," Heideman said. "But we're committed to making sure that the problem
is addressed." Nettleton said the HHW program, which isn't funded by tax
dollars, is capable of disposing of the same types of materials often found
when officers bust meth labs. Substances like ether, Coleman lantern fuel,
red phosphorus, hydrochloric acid and anhydrous ammonia, while dangerous,
can be properly disposed of, Nettleton said.

"We still need to talk to county commissioners and evaluate our contractual
obligations, but I do know that more and more HHWs are looking into it,"
Nettleton said. All agencies agree funding needs to be found. Otherwise, the
pace of methamphetamine production will overtake efforts to shut them down.

"We've been dealing with these forever, but now they're just so much more
prevalent," Hladky said. "And it's only going to get worse. No matter how
many you pick off, two or three will take their place."