Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A bill that was aimed at shutting down a disputed landfill handling hurricane debris in eastern New Orleans was shot down Monday by the House Environment Committee.

Environmentalists and the residents who live near the Chef Menteur landfill say the dump threatens groundwater and a nearby wildlife refuge and hinders rebuilding efforts in the area. The Department of Environmental Quality says the landfill speeds cleanup after Hurricane Katrina and is needed to handle the volume of debris caused by the storm.

The Senate-backed bill (Senate Bill 718) by Sen. Joel Chaisson, D-Destrehan, would require DEQ to determine the space available in landfills in St. Bernard, St. Charles, Plaquemines, Jefferson and Orleans parishes that could handle Katrina debris.

If existing landfills could handle the bricks, drywall and moldy interiors of homes flooded by Katrina, DEQ would be unable to permit new landfills for Katrina debris and the Chef Menteur landfill would have to shut down.

Members of the House committee questioned the precedent that could be set by the bill and whether it would have the desired effect supporters wanted. They voted 4-1 to reject the bill.