[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 365 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

\Alpha3\E\HSEENR\h365--enr.xml [file 1 of 1]

        H.R.365

                       One Hundred Tenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
            the fourth day of January, two thousand and seven


                                 An Act


 
      To provide for a research program for remediation of closed 
    methamphetamine production laboratories, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Methamphetamine Remediation Research 
Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    The Congress finds the following:
        (1) Methamphetamine use and production is growing rapidly 
    throughout the United States.
        (2) Materials and residues remaining from the production of 
    methamphetamine pose novel environmental problems in locations 
    where methamphetamine laboratories have been closed.
        (3) There has been little standardization of measures for 
    determining when the site of a closed methamphetamine laboratory 
    has been successfully remediated.
        (4) Initial cleanup actions are generally limited to removal of 
    hazardous substances and contaminated materials that pose an 
    immediate threat to public health or the environment. It is not 
    uncommon for significant levels of contamination to be found 
    throughout residential structures after a methamphetamine 
    laboratory has closed, partially because of a lack of knowledge of 
    how to achieve an effective cleanup.
        (5) Data on methamphetamine laboratory-related contaminants of 
    concern are very limited, and cleanup standards do not currently 
    exist. In addition, procedures for sampling and analysis of 
    contaminants need to be researched and developed.
        (6) Many States are struggling with establishing remediation 
    guidelines and programs to address the rapidly expanding number of 
    methamphetamine laboratories being closed each year.
SEC. 3. VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES.
    (a) Establishment of Voluntary Guidelines.--Not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency (in this Act referred to as the 
``Administrator''), in consultation with the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, shall establish voluntary guidelines, based 
on the best currently available scientific knowledge, for the 
remediation of former methamphetamine laboratories, including 
guidelines regarding preliminary site assessment and the remediation of 
residual contaminants.
    (b) Considerations.--In developing the voluntary guidelines under 
subsection (a), the Administrator shall consider, at a minimum--
        (1) relevant standards, guidelines, and requirements found in 
    Federal, State, and local laws and regulations;
        (2) the varying types and locations of former methamphetamine 
    laboratories; and
        (3) the expected cost of carrying out any proposed guidelines.
    (c) States.--The voluntary guidelines should be designed to assist 
State and local governments in the development and the implementation 
of legislation and other policies to apply state-of-the-art knowledge 
and research results to the remediation of former methamphetamine 
laboratories. The Administrator shall work with State and local 
governments and other relevant non-Federal agencies and organizations, 
including through the conference described in section 5, to promote and 
encourage the appropriate adoption of the voluntary guidelines.
    (d) Updating the Guidelines.--The Administrator shall periodically 
update the voluntary guidelines as the Administrator, in consultation 
with States and other interested parties, determines to be necessary 
and appropriate to incorporate research findings and other new 
knowledge.
SEC. 4. RESEARCH PROGRAM.
    The Administrator shall establish a program of research to support 
the development and revision of the voluntary guidelines described in 
section 3. Such research shall--
        (1) identify methamphetamine laboratory-related chemicals of 
    concern;
        (2) assess the types and levels of exposure to chemicals of 
    concern identified under paragraph (1), including routine and 
    accidental exposures, that may present a significant risk of 
    adverse biological effects, and the research necessary to better 
    address biological effects and to minimize adverse human exposures;
        (3) evaluate the performance of various methamphetamine 
    laboratory cleanup and remediation techniques; and
        (4) support other research priorities identified by the 
    Administrator in consultation with States and other interested 
    parties.
SEC. 5. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CONFERENCE.
    (a) Conference.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and at least every third year thereafter, the 
Administrator shall convene a conference of appropriate State agencies, 
as well as individuals or organizations involved in research and other 
activities directly related to the environmental, or biological impacts 
of former methamphetamine laboratories. The conference should be a 
forum for the Administrator to provide information on the guidelines 
developed under section 3 and on the latest findings from the research 
program described in section 4, and for the non-Federal participants to 
provide information on the problems and needs of States and localities 
and their experience with guidelines developed under section 3.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 3 months after each conference, the 
Administrator shall submit a report to the Congress that summarizes the 
proceedings of the conference, including a summary of any 
recommendations or concerns raised by the non-Federal participants and 
how the Administrator intends to respond to them. The report shall also 
be made widely available to the general public.
SEC. 6. RESIDUAL EFFECTS STUDY.
    (a) Study.--Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator shall enter into an arrangement with the 
National Academy of Sciences for a study of the status and quality of 
research on the residual effects of methamphetamine laboratories. The 
study shall identify research gaps and recommend an agenda for the 
research program described in section 4. The study shall pay particular 
attention to the need for research on the impacts of methamphetamine 
laboratories on--
        (1) the residents of buildings where such laboratories are, or 
    were, located, with particular emphasis given to biological impacts 
    on children; and
        (2) first responders.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 3 months after the completion of the 
study, the Administrator shall transmit to Congress a report on how the 
Administrator will use the results of the study to carry out the 
activities described in sections 3 and 4.
SEC. 7. METHAMPHETAMINE DETECTION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
    The Director of National Institute of Standards and Technology, in 
consultation with the Administrator, shall support a research program 
to develop--
        (1) new methamphetamine detection technologies, with emphasis 
    on field test kits and site detection; and
        (2) appropriate standard reference materials and validation 
    procedures for methamphetamine detection testing.
SEC. 8. SAVINGS CLAUSE.
    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or limit the 
application of, or any obligation to comply with, any State or Federal 
environmental law or regulation, including the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 
U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) and the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6901 
et seq.).
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
    (a) Environmental Protection Agency.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out this 
Act $1,750,000 for each of the fiscal years 2007 and 2008.
    (b) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology to carry out this Act $750,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2007 and 2008.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.