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Floor
Statement of Honorable Lane Evans H.R.
1696, to expedite the construction of the Mr. Speaker, John Ruskin once said “our duty is to preserve what the
past has said for itself, and to say for ourselves what shall be true for
the future.” This statement
is an appropriate guide for our deliberations today as we consider H.R.
1696, a bill that will expedite the construction of the National World War
II Memorial in the District of Columbia. In 1993, Congress passed legislation authorizing the creation of a National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. President Clinton signed the legislation into law on May 25, 1993. The memorial is intended to honor all who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. It is also intended to honor the entire nation’s contribution to the war effort. The future National World War II Memorial will be an integral part of the Washington, DC landscape. The memorial will not only appropriately honor and pay tribute to those who sacrificed so much, but will educate future generations to come of the costs of freedom. Mr. Speaker, 14 years after Congress authorized the construction of this memorial, and six years from the first of 22 public hearings on its site and design, the memorial’s construction remains delayed by a lawsuit filed by a small opposition group and a procedural issue involving the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), one of the agencies required by law to approve the memorial. NCPC decisions of the past two years, including its approval of the National World War II Memorial, have been placed in question because the former NCPC chairman continued to serve on the commission after the expiration of his term. The legislation that established the commission permitted the chairman to serve until replaced, but when the law was amended this language was inadvertently omitted. The NCPC has scheduled yet another public hearing on the memorial for June 14, 2001. Meanwhile, court action on the lawsuit is on hold pending resolution of this issue, which may take several more months to conclude. Mr. Speaker, more than 16 million Americans served in uniform during World War II. More than 400,000 gave their lives, over 670,000 were wounded, and millions more supported the war effort on the front here at home. Of the 16 million who served, only five million remain alive today. World War II veterans, who saved democracy and served heroically, today are battling the diseases and disabilities of older age. Today, our World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,100 per day. With more than 400,000 veterans dying each year, every delay in memorial construction ensures that hundreds of thousands of World War II veterans will never witness the completion of this memorial. H.R. 1696 will expedite construction of the memorial and make it possible for many of our World War II veterans to be able to see the memorial with their own eyes. H.R. 1696 would declare that the National World War II Memorial complies with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Commemorative Works Act, and any other governing laws pertaining to the memorial’s site and design. H.R. 1696 would direct expedited construction of the memorial, consistent with reasonable construction permit requirements of the Secretary of Interior and the National Park Service. In addition, H.R. 1696 would mandate that the decision to construct the memorial at the Rainbow Pool site and decisions regarding the design of the memorial are final and conclusive and shall not be subject to administrative or judicial review. The Commemorative Works Act of 1986 governs the process of establishing memorials in Washington, DC. The Act gives the authority for final site and design approval to the Commission of Fine Arts, the NCPC, and the Secretary of the Interior. In total, eight sites were considered for the memorial. The final Rainbow Pool selection was the consensus choice as the only site commensurate with the significance of World War II in American and World history. Since 1995, the memorial site and design have been the subject of 22 public meetings that resulted in the endorsement of hundreds of Members of Congress, an endorsement from the State Historic Preservation Officer of the District of Columbia, four endorsements from the District of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Review Board, five approvals from the CFA, and five approvals from the NCPC. In other words, the National World War II Memorial is the product of an open and democratic process, in full compliance with all applicable laws. The site and design were debated in the media and in 22 public meetings since 1995. No party has been denied the right to be heard, and critics have had full opportunity to state their positions. On May 28th of this year, many of us will attend Memorial Day observances.
We will with humility and thanks, pay sincere respect to those
whose sacrifices and dedications have protected the ideals on which
America was founded. In this spirit, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R.
1696. The time is overdue to
begin construction on this meaningful tribute and symbolic monument that
will immortalize the defining moment of our history forever. |