The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2005 court decision overturning the land exchange necessary for the development of the Eagle Mountain Landfill near Joshua Tree National Park.

The property, which is surrounded on three sides by Joshua Tree land, could have been the site of a landfill that would have received as much as 20,000 tons of Los Angeles County trash daily.

Environmentalists who fought the proposal for years are calling the ruling a major victory.

"This is a great day for desert. Thank God this thing is over; It's been going on for more than 20 years,” said Eagle Mountain resident Donna Charpied, who lives less than two miles from the site.

See mydesert.com later for more details on this developing story.