The Trump administration wants to destroy the National Mall by building massive, unnecessary structures that go against the deliberate meaning, planning and character of the landscape. It would mar one of America’s most recognizable and visited landscapes. Urge the National Capital Planning Commission to protect the National Mall by REJECTING the proposed Triumphal Arch.
Dear Chairman Scharf and NCPC Commissioners:
I urge you to reject the proposed Triumphal Arch at Memorial Circle and urge the administration to follow the laws that have kept this landscape protected and celebrated for decades. The administration has not completed the process required by the Commemorative Works Act for placing a monument in Area I of the monumental core. It has not completed environmental review under NEPA. It has not completed historic preservation consultation under Section 106. And it does not have the approval of Congress and the American public.
This 250-foot structure would permanently transform the view from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery, one of the most sacred landscapes in America, where families visit fallen veterans every day. Once that view is gone, it is gone forever. Rushing this project to meet a political deadline is not a reason to skip required legal and environmental reviews. Please require full legal compliance before this project moves one step further.
Thank you,
