Donald Trump's administration has pushed forward with plans to overhaul the President's East Potomac Golf Links before it was formally granted permission, ignoring hazards and concerns about the course. In July, Trump announced that restoration of the "very dangerous and outdated" club would begin next month. The start date, September 1, is just days away, but no details concerning a final design, construction timeline, or projected cost have been released publicly.
Tree removal at the historic course
Work appears to have already taken shape at the historic facility. The Washington Post reports that approximately 60 trees have been felled in recent weeks. While the majority of the trees were cleared from the course's boundary and car park, others were taken from the golfing lines on the Blue, Red, and White courses. Most strikingly, a cherry tree was cut down near the 14th green of the Blue Course, while two grand sycamores were removed near Hole No. 4.
The Interior Department rejected the backlash that the tree removal indicated an early start to the wider renovations at East Potomac Golf Links, characterising the process as "routine maintenance" instead.
"Arborists are doing routine maintenance at East Potomac Park with selective removal of hazard trees, non-native invasive trees, and declining and dying trees that cannot be brought back to good health through any degree of intervention," a department spokesperson said in an official statement. "Trees throughout the park are regularly monitored for potential safety impacts to visitors, and when a tree is determined to be dying, declining, or hazardous our arborists may make the decision to remove it."
Sinking island and legal challenges
Adding to the complexity of the Trump administration's redevelopment is a water hazard that threatens to derail the entire scheme. According to Mother Jones Magazine, East Potomac Golf Links sits upon an artificial island built in the 1800s, though the course has moved approximately five feet into the adjacent Potomac River.
"The island is sinking," said Rebecca Miller of the DC Preservation League, a non-profit organisation taking legal action to stop the project. "It's made of fill dirt, and the waters are rising."
The Trump administration's proposals to redesign the East Potomac Golf Links have faced criticism in recent months, with conservationists contending in a lawsuit that the scheme directly breaches an 1897 congressional act which designated East Potomac Park for the "recreation and pleasure of the people."
Court proceedings and next steps
In May, US District Judge Ana C. Reyes declined to prevent the government from carrying out necessary maintenance on the course, but requested the Trump administration provide advance warning before more than 10 trees were removed or major equipment was brought onto the site. Reyes' request was not set out in a formal written order but was instead conveyed verbally to the administration's lawyers. An anonymous source familiar with the matter said that the government failed to notify the plaintiffs or the court about the tree removal.
On Friday, a joint court filing released by the Justice Department stated that "no final agency action has occurred" during construction, noting that "multiple public-facing steps" would need to happen before a redesign could take place. The preservationists quickly responded to the filing, however, highlighting earlier comments by a government attorney who informed the court that the Interior and the Park Service were "trying to meet" a September construction deadline.
