Funds Given To Clean Meth Labs Explosion Of Illegal Production Strains Services, Budgets

The state Board of Examiners on Tuesday authorized another $8,400 to cover the cost of cleaning up the toxic chemical aftermath of the manufacturing of methamphetamines.

The money covered a dozen cases from Spirit Lake to Pocatello over just a six-week period early this spring, providing more evidence of the increasing production of what has become the drug of choice in the Northwest.

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has made battling the drug a top priority of his administration.

A Spokesman-Review series in June found meth has become the hard drug of choice in the Inland Northwest, with police, drug treatment centers and child welfare workers overrun with cases.

Not only has it strained services provided by police, social workers and drug counselors, but cleaning up after production operations are broken up is commanding more and more resources.

“I don’t think people realize when you have these meth labs, you have a lot of dangerous chemicals, and it’s the responsibility of society to clean it up,” Idaho Attorney General Al Lance said.

Last year, the state spent more than $750,000 to clean up 171 labs. Federal officials announced last month that the state will receive $5million to help pay for cleaning up clandestine labs.

This sidebar appeared with the story: IN WASHINGTON Guard called out

In Washington state on Tuesday, Gov. Gary Locke assigned National Guard members to help battle the state’s rapidly growing problem with methamphetamine.

Seven members of the Guard who are on active duty will augment the six who were assigned in May.

Like the previous six, two of the newly assigned members will help police in Pierce County, home to 40 percent of the state’s 670 meth labs or chemical dump sites discovered this year.

Staff writer Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.