Committee hears bill to bar new schools within a quarter mile of contaminated dump sites

Representative DePauw presented House File 1457, a bipartisan measure that would prohibit locating new school construction on land within a quarter mile of a dump site or closed landfill that is listed as a potentially contaminated site on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) website.

Proponents' testimony

Larry Lanou, a local resident who has advocated for the measure for years, framed the bill as a public-health protection that would prevent schools from siting near contaminated or formerly contaminated properties. Lanou recounted prior incidents where schools built near former dump sites later faced cancer clusters and community concern.

Wayne Serapo, a former MPCA employee with decades of experience in remediation programs, told the committee that cleaning up contaminated sites is costly and complex. He testified the bill would reduce exposure risk by preventing construction near…