Ken Calvert: “I am proud to have joined Mr. Gordon and Mr. Boehlert as a lead sponsor of this legislation--H.R. 798, the…”

“I am proud to have joined Mr. Gordon and Mr. Boehlert as a lead sponsor of this legislation--H.R. 798, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2005. I thank Mr. Gordon for bringing this very important issue to the Congress' attention and Mr. Boehlert for steering the bill quickly through the Science Committee. I also thank the Science Committee's Majority and Minority staffs who have diligently worked together for the last two years to develop and revise this legislation. As a Co-Chairman of the 135-member Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, I know the growing meth epidemic in our country shows no deference to district or party line. This is an issue everyone can agree is wreaking havoc on communities across the Nation. As mentioned by my colleagues, H.R. 798 focuses its efforts on the procedures and standards needed to decontaminate a site where a methamphetamine lab is found so our communities can more thoroughly remediate these sites. The creation of voluntary, health-based remediation guidelines for former meth labs, crafted by the Environmental Protection Agency, will protect and ensure the health of our citizens and the surrounding environment. In my area of Riverside, California, methamphetamine production has reached epidemic proportions with many of these labs having the distinction of being labeled superlabs--these are labs that are capable of producing over ten pounds of finished methamphetamine per batch.…”