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Federal Council Ends Review of Trump's Arch Effects on Historic Sites

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An advisory council composed largely of allies of President Trump has terminated a legally required review of how his proposed triumphal arch in Washington could detract from historic properties around it, removing one of the final hurdles for the project to advance. The move brushes aside the National Park Service’s acknowledgment that the 250-foot-tall monument would obstruct symbolic views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery and “adversely affect” more than 40 historic sites.

The Park Service said it could not come to an agreement with local preservation officials and outside organizations about how to address those effects, under a process required by a federal preservation law. It then notified the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (A.C.H.P.). The panel sent a letter to the Park Service on Thursday formally terminating the process, a step it has rarely taken.

“It is clear that the proposed undertaking and its potential effects on historic properties have raised significant public interest,” wrote Travis Voyles, the vice chair of the council. But he noted that the Park Service believed additional consultation wouldn’t lead to an agreement, and that it had said changes to the arch would alter the goals of the project. The effective result is that the president’s allies are swiftly pushing the arch toward construction.

The administration is planning for the arch to come before the National Capital Planning Commission for a final vote on Nov. 5, two days after the midterm election. Preservationists dismissed the idea that the Park Service was unable to resolve the harms it identified, arguing that officials had made no effort to do so. On Sunday, Mr. Trump upended the review with his announcement that the arch would be a “military complex” — a shift in purpose that would normally require redrawing plans and restarting reviews.