Arlington County sues to stop Trump's planned Triumphal Arch
Arlington County in Virginia has sued to stop President Trump's planned 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery. The county says the Park Service rushed its review and ignored traffic and safety risks. A federal planning board is set to take its last vote on the arch on Nov. 5.
A Virginia county has gone to court to stop President Trump's planned "Triumphal Arch" near Washington.
The Arlington County Board filed the suit Thursday in federal court in Virginia, CNN reported. It is working with Democracy Forward, a left-leaning group. The suit names Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the Park Service, which runs the site, The Hill reported.
The county says the Park Service cut corners. It says the agency did a "cursory and conclusory" review, CNN reported. The suit says the agency did a short review of the arch's effects when the law calls for a full one, the Washington Examiner reported. The county wants work stopped until the full study is done.
The arch would rise at Memorial Circle, a traffic circle near the cemetery. The county says it would clog roads used by cars, bikes and ambulances, CNN reported. That includes crews that serve the cemetery. It also objects to Trump's idea to put a military site inside the arch, the Examiner reported. Storing ammunition and staging drones there would "dramatically worsen these public-safety harms," the lawyers wrote, according to The Hill.
"Our community has the most to lose from this egregious and unlawful proposed project," board chair Matt de Ferranti said, CNN reported.
The arch itself is about 160 feet tall. A gold figure with wings and two eagles on top bring it to 250 feet, the Examiner reported. A Park Service report found it would harm dozens of historic sites and views, CNN reported. Vietnam veterans have also sued to stop it.
The project has already been approved by the Commission of Fine Arts. The National Capital Planning Commission is set to take a final vote on Nov. 5, CNN and the Examiner reported.
What we know: Arlington has sued to pause the arch until a full environmental study is done.
What we don't: Whether a judge will act before the Nov. 5 vote.
Where outlets agree CNN and the Washington Examiner both report that Arlington County sued in the Eastern District of Virginia and that the National Capital Planning Commission is set to give the arch its final vote on Nov. 5.
Where they differ The Washington Examiner describes Arlington County as owning the land around the proposed site, while CNN says Memorial Circle sits in Washington, D.C., with the county line yards away.