Oregon Public Broadcasting

A federal judge in Richland has imposed a temporary injunction that prevents Hawaii from importing garbage to Washington.

The City of Honolulu asked the federal government for permission to barge thousands of tons of garbage across the Pacific Ocean.

The final landing spot for that trash was to have been a huge landfill in south central Washington.

But Judge Edward Shea has affirmed a lawsuit by the Yakama Tribe and several environmental groups. They claim the federal government has failed to adequately study how that garbage would affect the surrounding area.

That's where tribal members hunt, fish and gather their traditional foods.

Shea ruled that there will be no garbage shipments until he can rule on the tribe's lawsuit early next year.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says it won't give Honolulu the permits it needs to send the trash to the mainland.

The city recently announced it has developed a solution to keep its trash on the islands.

But one of the plaintiff's attorneys, Tom Buchele, says his clients don't believe that shuts the door on future garbage shipments.

So, he says, they will continue with their lawsuit.