Appeals panel: No landfill near national park

updated 5:35 p.m. ET Nov. 11, 2009

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. - A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday upheld a 2005 court decision that effectively halted the development of what would have been one of the nation's largest landfills near Joshua Tree National Park.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel let stand a ruling that prevented development of the Eagle Mountain Landfill in an abandoned iron ore mine.

Kaiser Ventures of Ontario wanted to develop the dump, which would have received 20,000 tons of trash from Los Angeles County daily for 117 years. The 4,654-acre site is about 1.5 miles from the park's boundaries and surrounded by the park on three sides.

Two jojoba farmers sued more than 20 years ago to stop a Bureau of Land Management deal necessary for the development. The National Parks Conservation Association later joined the case.

Environmentalists said the ruling was a "major victory" that protects bighorn sheep and the endangered desert tortoise by inflating the population of predators like coyotes and ravens.

Kaiser Ventures and the Bureau of Land Management can appeal the decision to the full appeals court. A call to their attorneys was not returned Tuesday night.

MORE FROM ENVIRONMENT

Environment Section Front

Climate change fears spark ‘new nuclear age’ CO2 levels rising as climate talks loom Warming’s impacts worsened since Kyoto 5,600 new species found in deep sea   Watch the opening to ‘100 Heartbeats’ Quiz: Test your wildlife knowledge   Hollywood goes green Predatory fish nearing Great Lakes ecosystem Toxic drinking water finally tied to old mine   Ice reveals cold, hard climate facts Environment Section Front   Add Environment headlines to your news reader: