1srelluc
Diamond Member
A nonprofit dedicated to âpromoting informed stewardshipâ of historic landscapes asked a federal judge on Monday to halt the Trump administrationâs painting of the Lincoln Memorialâs Reflecting Pool, which has long featured a gray basin, blue.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, DC, by The Cultural Landscape Foundation argues the project violates federal laws requiring the Interior Department to complete a consultation process that includes notifying the public of the plans and getting input from other federal agencies before beginning the work.
The group also says the project runs afoul of a federal law requiring the department to issue an assessment of how the paint job would impact the environment.
The lawsuit is the latest challenge to Trumpâs effort to remake a slew of cultural and historic institutions and sites in the nationâs capital. Other groups have asked federal courts to stop the president from moving ahead with work on a massive new ballroom at the White House, construction of an arch similar to Parisâ Arc de Triomphe and the painting of a federal office building adjacent to the White House.
âDefendantsâ failure to follow the law before inserting a permanent blemish on the National Mall is causing serious and irreparable harm to the Plaintiffs and the public generally,â lawyers for the Cultural Landscape Foundation wrote in court papers. âWithout immediate judicial intervention, defendants will deface an iconic American landmark, in open violation of Congressionally mandated procedures.â
The foundationâs president and CEO, Charles A. Birnbaum, who is also a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement that the Reflecting Poolâs design âis fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.â
OMG.....Now it's "Mah Reflecting Pool". Won't the madness ever stop?
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, DC, by The Cultural Landscape Foundation argues the project violates federal laws requiring the Interior Department to complete a consultation process that includes notifying the public of the plans and getting input from other federal agencies before beginning the work.
The group also says the project runs afoul of a federal law requiring the department to issue an assessment of how the paint job would impact the environment.
The lawsuit is the latest challenge to Trumpâs effort to remake a slew of cultural and historic institutions and sites in the nationâs capital. Other groups have asked federal courts to stop the president from moving ahead with work on a massive new ballroom at the White House, construction of an arch similar to Parisâ Arc de Triomphe and the painting of a federal office building adjacent to the White House.
âDefendantsâ failure to follow the law before inserting a permanent blemish on the National Mall is causing serious and irreparable harm to the Plaintiffs and the public generally,â lawyers for the Cultural Landscape Foundation wrote in court papers. âWithout immediate judicial intervention, defendants will deface an iconic American landmark, in open violation of Congressionally mandated procedures.â
The foundationâs president and CEO, Charles A. Birnbaum, who is also a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement that the Reflecting Poolâs design âis fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.â
OMG.....Now it's "Mah Reflecting Pool". Won't the madness ever stop?
