Sierra Club Testifies Against Trump’s Proposal to Build Triumphal Arch on National Park Service Land

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Sierra Club representatives testified before the National Capital Planning Commission in opposition to the Trump administration's proposal to construct a 250-foot arch on National Park Service land at Memorial Circle, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. During the hearing, the representatives urged the Commission to reject the proposal, arguing it would permanently alter one of the nation's most significant commemorative landscapes.

During her testimony, Jackie Ostfeld, Campaign Director for the Sierra Club's Outdoors for All Campaign said:

"When Donald Trump first unveiled a model of the proposed triumphal arch, a reporter asked him a simple question: 'Who is it for?' His answer was just as simple: 'Me.' That answer should tell us everything we need to know. Our public lands are not there to serve the vanity of any president. They belong to every American, and they should be managed with future generations in mind."

In his testimony, Sherman Neal II, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club's Military Outdoors program and a Marine Corps veteran told commissioners:

"Honoring the legacy of the servicemembers who gave their lives in defense of this country requires protecting the hallowed ground where they rest from desecration by Donald Trump and his vanity projects. This is an important time to remember the steps this administration has already taken to diminish the legacies of heroes at Arlington. This is a time to honor the more than 430,000 soldiers buried on those grounds by protecting their legacies. This is a time to demand those who honor commitments to living veterans by committing resources to individual wellness and correcting systemic environmental injustices in the communities where they live."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.