Lawmakers Shoot Down N.O. East Landfill Bill

NEW ORLEANS -- Lawmakers in Baton Rouge shot down a bill that would have closed a controversial landfill in New Orleans East.

The bill would require the Department of Environmental Quality to determine if other landfills had enough room for all the post-Katrina debris.

If the space was available elsewhere, the landfill in the east would have shut down.

The bill did not make it out of committee.

Residents of New Orleans East said the dump could pose a health risk and slow the rebuilding efforts in Eastern New Orleans.