Desert Landfill

“Judge Rejects Plan for Landfill Next to Joshua Tree Park” (Feb. 20) should sound a wake-up call regarding environmental totalitarianism. Judge Judith McConnell rejected the plan for a regional desert landfill project because there isn’t evidence that the environmental impacts are insignificant. If we were to use the rationale of Judge McConnell, we would have to demolish most of the region’s major airports (which are located over former wetlands), flood control channels (over riverbeds), reservoirs (over lake beds), major roads (over old animal trails) and major infrastructure that forms modern civilization.

Whatever happened to the concept of determining what is the greater public necessity? Who vested in the courts the unilateral decision-making authority to impose higher trash fees on the entire region? This judicial usurpation of democracy by our courts eliminates the priority setting which should be vested in our Legislature.

WAYNE C. LUSVARDI

Pasadena