"NPCA is committed to this fight with our veteran partners and supporters, and we'll bring this to members of Congress, to ensure this arch is never built. Not here. Not ever." -- Jimi Shaughnessy, USMC and Veterans Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association
WASHINGTON – Today, despite substantial opposition and public outcry, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) voted to approve the Triumphal Arch. National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) was joined by its veteran partners and council members, and roughly 130 participants virtually, with thousands more that submitted written comments. The arch is proposed for Memorial Circle at the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery where hundreds of thousands of military service members and their families are laid to rest. At more than 250 feet, it would stand more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial, disrupt the historic connection to Arlington National Cemetery and permanently desecrate the viewshed of the National Mall.
Additionally, before today’s NCPC vote, NPCA, Congressman Don Beyer (VA-8) who’s district includes Arlington National Cemetery, Vote Vets, Coalition to Protect Americas National Parks, Sierra Club Military Outdoors, and several military veterans hosted a press briefing to share their collective concerns about the unlawful Triumphal Arch. The groups discussed the Trump administration’s failure to comply with numerous federal laws and how this arch will have significant and permanent consequences for the National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery, and the surrounding national park landscape. The location, design, and scale of the proposed arch threaten the deliberate and historic design of the Capital’s monumental core and will unlawfully encroach on hundreds of thousands of service members and their families laid to rest here, and more than 40 historic properties.
NPCA, along with a group of advocacy, conservation and historic preservation organizations recently submitted a friend of the court brief in support for stopping the unlawful construction. The groups are awaiting the court’s decision.
“While we are deeply disappointed by the Commission’s decision, we’re not surprised,” said Jimi Shaughnessy, USMC and Veterans Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. “This process has been flawed from the start, ignoring the overwhelming opposition, the need for Congressional approval and continuing their disruptive course that led us to this outcome today. NPCA is committed to this fight with our veteran partners, and supporters, and we’ll bring this to members of Congress, to ensure this arch is never built. Not here. Not ever.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
