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.
About the Author
