The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has voted in favor of new rule changes that critics say threaten the nation’s historic sites. The proposed rules face review by the US Office of Management and Budget before being published in the Federal Register.
The proposal would relax Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which currently requires federal agencies to consider the impact of their projects on historic properties. An internal council memo suggests current rules create confusion that delays federal projects near historic sites.
The changes would narrow the definition of historic places and remove requirements for the council to consult with tribal nations and solicit public comments.
President Trump appointed more than a third of the Advisory Council's members this year.
President Donald Trump appointed more than a third of the council’s 23 members this year, including an architect from his Mar-a-Lago club and members of his administration, according to the report.
For us, it felt like a bait and switch.
Brent Leggs, president of the National Historic Trust for Historic Council, said the new rules would “eviscerate the preservation of our shared civic and cultural heritage in the United States.”
The existing Section 106 rules were last revised in 2004. Council spokesperson Asley Fry stated it is an opportune time for revisions.
Link to planned monuments
The rule changes could ease approval for President Trump’s plan for a 250-foot 'triumphal arch' on Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout leading to the Army’s Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Three Vietnam War veterans are suing to block the arch. Shaun Byrnes, 83, called it a “disgusting vanity project.”
Separately, Trump wants to build a National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park featuring 250 life-size statues. A lawsuit seeks to block that plan, contending it violates a congressional ban on new commemorative work in the National Mall and surrounding area.
The renovation of Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links is also being challenged in court. Meanwhile, work is proceeding on a massive, gilded ballroom and bunker to replace the White House East Wing, which is exempted from the National Historic Preservation Act. That project is subject to litigation filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
