05/26/2006

Associated Press
 

Opponents of an eastern New Orleans landfill, who persuaded Mayor Ray Nagin to shut the facility down two weeks ago so the waste being dumped there could be examined, are criticizing the testing procedure proposed by operators and government officials.

In a joint news release, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network and the Citizens for a Strong New Orleans East said their experts, who include a former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, said the testing protocol proposed by the city, state and Waste Management of Louisiana "would be a useless waste of time."

The news release also noted that the controversial facility reopened Sunday, less than 24 hours after Nagin won re-election.

Marc Ehrhardt, a spokesman for Waste Management, which operates the landfill, confirmed that the landfill was reopened the day after Nagin's re-election. However, he said that after the landfill had been open for two days, Nagin asked that it be closed again, and the company agreed. He said no new opening date has been set.

They "have told us this site is safe for the community, but they won't let anyone test the waste going in there to prove it," said the Rev. Vien Nguyen, pastor of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church and a leader of Citizens for a Strong New Orleans East.

Nagin issued a statement Thursday evening, saying no one in his administration promised to "prove" that toxic materials were being dumped at the landfill, only to test what was being placed there.

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Information from: The Times-Picayune, http://www.timespicayune.com