BUSH SIGNS MCNERNEY'S METH TOXINS CLEANUP BILL

SACRAMENTO - President Bush has signed into law a bill co-sponsored
by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, to help clean up
methamphetamine labs and the toxic mess they leave behind.

Bush signed HR365 late last week. The proposal requires the
Environmental Protection Agency to set guidelines for federal aid to
state and local authorities charged with cleaning up former meth lab sites.

"Meth use is a critical problem for so many parts of the country,
including the Central Valley," McNerney said. "Frequently, meth labs
are located in residential neighborhoods. Innocent people could be
put at undue risk from the toxic residue that remains after meth
production in that home or hotel room is abandoned."

The legislation also aids in the development of field test kits for
meth that law enforcement can use to locate meth labs and identify
any toxins around them; police officers have been overcome by the
fumes from old meth labs in the past.

The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that more than 350
California meth labs were seized in 2006, many in the Central Valley
and the Mother Lode.