NO MORE FUNDS FOR METH LAB CLEANUPS

No Money Left to Dismantle Toxic Meth Operations and State Looks for
Way to Cover Costs

Federal money for cleaning up toxic methamphetamine labs has run out,
leaving police agencies across Georgia wondering how they're going to
pay a tab that amounted to more than $500,000 last year.

The Drug Enforcement Administration had $2 million at the start of the
fiscal year to reimburse local governments for meth lab cleanup costs.
Congress was expected to appropriate an additional $10 million through
the remainder of the fiscal year.

But because of the federal budget crisis and the rising number of meth
lab busts across the country, the money was exhausted about a week
ago, said Rusty Payne, spokesman for the DEA.

Future funding is unlikely because the program was eliminated in the
budget proposed by President Barack Obama.

"It's going to be a hit for the locals, for sure," Payne
said.

Georgia, the nation's ninth largest state by population, accounted for
the 10th largest portion of the cleanup funds the DEA distributed last
year, with $519,020.

The state's struggle with methamphetamine appears to be worsening,
though. There has been a 54 percent increase in the number of meth lab
incidents reported over the past three years, from 167 to 257,
according to the DEA. Last month, three young children died of severe
burns and smoke inhalation after a meth lab fire at a house near Lilburn.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that can be
manufactured using several different recipes. Many of them include
household products such as batteries, antifreeze and cold pills. When
combined, the chemicals in the drug are volatile and potentially explosive.

After a meth lab is dismantled, local police pay a private contractor
to dispose of the toxic materials in accordance with federal
Environmental Protection Agency standards. The DEA money reimbursed
law enforcement agencies for that expense.

Now county and municipal police and sheriff's departments are left to
foot the bill.

The GBI, which often assists with meth lab investigations, has its own
budget crunch. GBI inspector Fred Stephens said there is no money
available at the state level to reimburse local police for cleanup
costs. The GBI is meeting with state Environmental Protection Division
officials to determine if they could train officers to perform less
dangerous cleanups on their own.

Most sheriffs have no idea how they would pay for meth lab cleanups,
said Terry Norris, executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs'
Association. Some have reached out to their representatives in
Washington to ask for the money to be restored.

"There is no money out there locally to do this," Norris
said.

Gwinnett County's police department is an exception. Spokesman Jake
Smith said his county's narcotics unit was informed last week that the
DEA's funding "would not be available for much longer." But, he said,
"the department also has funds available for these types of things, so
the lack of funding from the DEA will not hamper future cleanups."

Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said he has not yet identified a
funding source for future hazardous waste disposal. Fortunately, his
county has only had about two meth labs that required cleanups over
the past five years.

In Georgia, it costs about $1,500 to clean up a smaller meth lab, said
Chuvalo Truesdell, a spokesman for the DEA office in Atlanta.

But counties such as Gwinnett and Cobb have seen "super labs" capable
of churning out hundreds of kilograms of meth in recent months. The
cost to dismantle those operations can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Other costs are harder to measure.

They include reduced property values and overtime for law enforcement,
plus any costs for medical treatment of victims and incarceration and
prosecution of offenders.