The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE - Livingston Parish residents and environmental groups trying to block the expansion of a landfill failed to convince a judge that a state environmental official influenced the permit process in favor of the company that runs the landfill.

In a related development, three residents filed a petition in Livingston Parish on Monday alleging the Woodside Landfill allows "for serious leakage of odors, contaminated waters and other contaminants to be released into the air, water and grounds of nearby residents."

The petition also alleges that Waste Management accepted hazardous industrial wastes in violation of its contract.

State District Judge William Morvant ruled Tuesday in Baton Rouge that Waste Management can go forward with its plans to increase the height of the landfill, which is located in Walker.

The company also wants to expand the landfill horizontally, saying it needs the extra space to extend the life of the landfill.

Another state judge, Mike Caldwell, vacated the permit the state Department of Environmental Quality granted to Waste Management in August 2002.

At the time, Caldwell said the company did not present enough information to prove it was prepared for emergencies or present any evidence to quell concerns that the permitting process was influenced by a perk given to the DEQ official.

Caldwell said he did not have any problems with the technical and scientific aspects of the permitting project.

The only matter contested Tuesday was the method DEQ used to review allegations of improprieties in the permitting process. DEQ attorney Meredith Lieux said the state agency complied with Caldwell's orders.

Lieux also said DEQ did not make information available when Caldwell was handling the case because an investigation by the state Ethics Board was under way. Confidentiality laws precluded DEQ from disclosing matters under investigation, Lieux said.

Gerald Walter Jr., an attorney for Waste Management, said the investigation found that one DEQ official, James Brent, had accepted golf outings from the company.

Walter said Brent was not involved in the permitting process and that the golf outings were with a friend of 30 years who worked for Waste Management. Brent agreed to pay a $250 fine after the investigation into potential ethics violations.