"Joshua Tree National Park Escapes Threat of Nearby Landfill"

"WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Supreme Court [Monday] declined to hear an appeal from Kaiser Ventures LLC on an appeals court decision overturning a federal land exchange. The land deal would have allowed the world's largest garbage dump to be built on the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park.

The Mojave and Colorado deserts and the Little San Bernardino Mountains converge within California's Joshua Tree National Park. Environmental and community organizations have contested the Eagle Mountain Landfill for 18 years because of the adverse impacts it would have on the national park.

'The Supreme Court's decision not to hear this appeal is great news for all of us who care about Joshua Tree National Park,' said David Lamfrom, California Desert Program Manager with the National Parks Conservation Association."

Environment News Service had the story March 28, 2011.