East N.O. landfill ordered to close

Debris disposal continued Monday at a controversial landfill in eastern New Orleans as Mayor Ray Nagin's administration handed its operator a legal order to shut down the site before the clock struck 12:01 a.m. this morning or be considered in violation of city law.

After faxing a cease-and-desist order to Waste Management of Louisiana on Monday about 2 p.m., City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields said the company had not applied to the City Council for a conditional use permit needed to continue running its Chef Menteur landfill, which opened in April with permission that Nagin granted through emergency powers.

from The Times Picayune