特朗普政府承认，在阿灵顿国家公墓脚下沿波托马克河修建一座250英尺高的凯旋门的提议将对沿河的环境和景观造成“不利影响”——但它表示，这些影响“无法完全避免”，因为拱门的位置是“这项事业的核心”。
美国国家公园管理局（National Park Service）向华盛顿地区的四个历史保护和规划机构发送了一份文件，以寻求他们同意公园管理局减轻负面影响的计划。
根据该文件，这些努力包括监测建筑振动和控制噪音，考古研究和对公园的各种计划中的“改善”，包括新的人行道，路缘，照明和植物。
本月早些时候，一群越战老兵的律师起诉阻止拱门的建设，要求联邦法官发布临时限制令，以阻止政府推进该项目的挖掘工作。起诉拱门的退伍军人认为，拱门会阻碍阿灵顿国家公墓的视野，未经国会授权不能建造。
当一个项目有可能“削弱”历史遗产的完整性时，联邦法规要求与州历史保护办公室或部落民族达成这样的协议。纪念圈是阿灵顿国家公墓入口附近的拱门和环形交叉路口的规划位置，是国家历史遗迹名录上的历史遗产。
虽然法律要求进行协商并努力“尽最大可能”减少潜在的危害，但与州政府官员达成一致似乎并不是联邦政府在历史遗址上继续进行项目的必要条件。
NPS向弗吉尼亚州和华盛顿特区的历史保护官员分发的文件称，纪念圈“位于高度敏感的历史和纪念景观内”，该空间的拱门将影响该位置的“设置、设计、感觉、关联、空间组织、流通以及贡献的视图和远景”。
拱门的渲染图显示了一个250英尺高的结构，比附近99英尺高的林肯纪念堂高两倍多，上面刻着“上帝庇佑下的一个国家”，在其顶部，是一个金色的自由女神像，展开金色的翅膀。渲染图显示，拱门底座的每个角上都有四只金狮。
政府在文件中说，这个位置是“事业的中心”，拱门不能放在其他地方，因为“搬迁到纪念圈之外将构成一个本质上不同的事业。”
《华盛顿邮报》首先报道了该协议。
特朗普称这座拱门是“华盛顿特区的一大亮点”，他在今年早些时候的一篇社交媒体帖子中说，它将是“世界上任何地方”最“伟大、最美丽”的建筑。
尽管针对该项目进行了数小时的公开证词，但该建筑师在7月份获得了国家首都规划委员会（National Capital Planning Commission）的初步批准，该委员会是由特朗普钦点的官员领导的联邦机构。
这座拱门仍需得到国家首都规划委员会的最终批准。几位民主党议员表示，这座拱门违反了纪念作品法案，该法案要求国会批准在华盛顿特区或附近的联邦土地上修建纪念碑
内政部发言人表示，围绕拱门建设，将“遵循所有法律法规”。
“在整个咨询过程中，内政部收到了超过100，000条公众意见，接受了几十个组织作为咨询方，并延长了意见征询期，以进行更热烈的讨论，”发言人在给美国广播公司新闻的一份声明中说。
Trump＇s controversial triumphal arch will have ＇adverse effects＇ on landscape， administration acknowledges
The Trump administration acknowledges that the proposed construction of a 250-foot triumphal arch along the Potomac River at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery will cause ＂adverse effects＂ on the setting and views along the river -- but it says those impacts ＂cannot be fully avoided＂ because the arch＇s location is ＂central to the undertaking．＂
The acknowledgment is contained in a document that has been sent by the National Park Service to four historic preservation and planning agencies in the Washington area， seeking their agreement with park service＇s plans to mitigate the adverse effects．
Those efforts include monitoring construction vibration and controlling noise， an archeological study and various planned ＂improvements＂ to the parkland， including new walkways， curbs， lighting and plantings， according to the document．
Earlier this month， attorneys for a group of Vietnam War veterans who have sued to block construction of the arch，asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining orderto prevent the administration from moving forward with excavation work on the project． The veterans suing over the arch have argued it would obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery and can＇t be built without congressional authorization．
Federal rules call for agreements like this to be reached with a state＇s historic preservation office or a tribal nation when there＇s the potential for a project to ＂diminish the integrity＂ of a historic property． Memorial Circle， the planned site for the arch and a roundabout near the entrance Arlington National Cemetery， is a historic property listed on the National Register of Historic Places．
While the law requires consultation and an effort to minimize potential harms -- ＂to the maximum extent possible＂ -- agreement with state officials does not appear to be a requirement for a federal project at a historic site to continue．
The document circulated by NPS to historic preservation officials in Virginia and D．C． says that Memorial Circle ＂is located within a highly sensitive historic and commemorative landscape，＂ and that the arch at that space would affect the ＂setting， design， feeling， association， spatial organization， circulation， and contributing views and vistas＂ of the location．
Renderings of the arch show a 250-foot structure -- more than twice as tall as the nearby 99-foot Lincoln Memorial -- with an inscription reading ＂One Nation Under God＂ and at its top， a gold statue of Lady Liberty with outstretched gold wings． Four golden lions sit at each corner of the arch＇s base， renderings showed．
The administration said in the document that the location is ＂central to the undertaking＂ and the arch can＇t be placed elsewhere because ＂relocation outside Memorial Circle would constitute a materially different undertaking．＂
Word of the agreement was first reported by The Washington Post．
Trump has said called the arch a ＂wonderful addition to the Washington D．C． area，＂ saying in a social media post earlier this year that it will be the ＂GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL＂ of structures ＂anywhere in the world．＂
The archreceived initial approvalin July from the National Capital Planning Commission， a federal agency led by Trump＇s hand-picked appointees， despite hours of public testimony against the project．
The arch still needs final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission．Several Democratic lawmakerssay that the arch violates the Commemorative Works Act， which requires congressional approval for memorials on federal land in or near D．C．
An Interior Department spokesperson said it will ＂follow all laws and regulations＂ around the arch construction．
＂Throughout the consultation process， Interior has received over 100，000 public comments， has accepted dozens of organizations as consulting parties， and has extended comment periods to allow for more robust discussion，＂ the spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News．
