At the Capitol Hill rally opposing BAAJA on Monday, DC Preservation League president Rebecca Miller warned of the unique threat the bill’s effective repeal of the National Historic Preservation Act poses to Washingtonians.
Her organization is suing the Trump administration over its destructive plans for the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Kennedy Center, and East Potomac Park.
As Washingtonians, we face a unique challenge. We're a hometown to nearly 700,000 residents, but federal agencies control much of our land, our buildings, and our public spaces. This is why we're gathered here today.This is why section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is our frontline defense to manage change in our city. Section 106 isn’t just legal jargon or bureaucratic paperwork. It’s the people’s right, our right to stand up, speak out, and demand a seat at the table. It requires federal agencies to pause before building, altering, or demolishing. It tells them you cannot change our city in secret behind closed doors.
Washingtonians are still denied voting representation in Congress. And we currently have a president who treats our city’s historic resources as if they are his own personal portfolio.
Come January, this new Congress can, if it chooses, to put a check on this administration. We can return to a normalcy where section 106 isn’t perceived by the government as optional. It’s imperative. And agencies will once again need to pause and answer a fundamental question: Is there a better way to treat this historic site?
But if this permit reform bill moves forward and becomes law, the public loses its seat at the table. DCPL loses its seat at the table and we will have zero to say in the future of the federally owned historic sites, and you’ve heard much about them: East PTOAC, West PTOAC, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Kennedy Center, Rock Creek Park, Union Station just over here. The list goes on and on, because the government owns more than 25% of our city. And so we will not have this opportunity to have any kind of input into it.
As of now, our DC state historic preservation office consults on between 350 and 500 federal undertakings every single year. And neither does the Historic Preservation Office, nor does DCPL, see preservation as a barrier to progress. We view it as a blueprint for our city’s future.
Our history is irreplaceable. Once a wrecking ball swings, a piece of Washington’s story is lost forever. We’re not just standing up for old buildings. We’re fighting for our history, our heritage, and our right to shape the historic and built environment of our city. So, let’s keep fighting for DC, for underrepresented communities, for our tribal friends and family, and for our heritage sites across America.