CLANDESTINE DRUG LAB REGULATIONS WILL NOW BE ENFORCED

SANTA FE -- New state regulations governing the cleanup and public
notice of former clandestine drug laboratories in New Mexico are
effective. The Environmental Improvement Board passed those
regulations in October.

The Environment Department also launched a new Web page containing
information about implementing that rule.

"The regulations that go into effect on the first of the year will
protect children, the elderly and families from harmful contaminants
present in homes and other properties formerly used as meth labs or
in the manufacturing of other illegal drugs," Gov. Bill Richardson
said. "The rules will provide safeguards to ensure New Mexico
citizens will not be harmed by exposure to toxic chemicals. The
Environment Department will continue to work with law enforcement
agencies to ensure the state addresses the problem of clandestine
laboratories from the time the sites are discovered until they are
cleaned up."

Drug laboratory sites can be contaminated with dangerous chemicals
including drug residues, volatile organic compounds, lead and mercury.

The Web page, which can be found at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/hwb/,
contains lists of contaminated properties. That list includes
addresses of locations where law enforcement agencies found
chemicals or other items indicating the presence of clandestine drug
laboratories or dump sites. Once a site has been cleaned up, the Web
site will note that status.

On the site, six properties in Rio Rancho are listed. The sites
include 550 SE Vancouver Road, 3424 SE 19th Avenue, 1000 SE
Meadowlark Court Apt. 3, 4515 SE Arrowhead Ridge Drive Apt 811, 1385
SE Sunset Road and 6979 NE Clark Hills Drive.

"The Environment Department worked hard to develop a Web site that
provides guidance and is easy to use," said New Mexico Environment
Department Secretary Ron Curry. "The Environment Department met with
officials and residents around the state to inform citizens of their
rights and responsibilities regarding the cleanup of clandestine drug
laboratories. We developed regulations that protect New Mexicans from
risks related to contaminated properties."

The site also contains a copy of the rule, information about the
cleanup process and background studies used to develop the rule and
public outreach materials. Those materials include a list of cleanup
companies. The department's Information Technology Division and
Hazardous Waste Bureau worked on the Web page. The Hazardous Waste
Bureau developed the regulations governing clandestine drug
laboratories.