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| Wilson Urges Reno to Address Meth Problem Immediately |
March 30, 2000 |
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Letter from Attorney General Reno to House Appropriators would Resolve Funding Shortage Instantly
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today urged Attorney General Janet Reno to resolve a situation New Mexico law enforcement officials say represents a grave risk to public safety and to the environment. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), a component of Reno’s Department of Justice, says they have run out of funds used to help local law enforcement agencies clean up clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. However, Wilson has learned that a simple letter from Attorney General Reno to the House Appropriations Committee would end the funding shortage immediately.
In the letter to Reno, Congresswoman Wilson states, “It is my understanding that a letter from you to the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, State, Justice and Judiciary, Harold Rogers, requesting the authority to reallocate funds to the methamphetamine lab program would solve this funding problem immediately. I strongly urge you to resolve this matter without delay. It is far too important an issue in New Mexico and across the country to delay action any further.”
Local law enforcement agencies told Wilson earlier this week that the current lack of funding could stifle law enforcement initiatives to stop methamphetamine production, and could compound the public safety risk labs already pose.
“Those labs, with materials that could be explosive should the right conditions occur, are currently sitting in a stolen vehicle now in the department’s possession,” said Wilson about two methamphetamine labs recently dismantled by the Torrance County Sheriff’s office in Moriarty, New Mexico. “While the vehicle is secured, it obviously represents a grave risk to public safety and to the environment.”
Attachment: Wilson Letter to Attorney General Reno
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