ACHP Terminates Section 106 Review for Trump's Triumphal Arch

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has terminated the Section 106 consultation process for the Trump administration's triumphal arch project, escalating the federal conflict over the contested monument.

ACHP vice chairman Travis Voyles notified the National Park Service of the decision. The termination cuts short the consultation framework that federal law normally requires when a project affects historic properties.

The move marks a significant rupture between the independent federal preservation body and the National Park Service, the agency stewarding the arch proposal. Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, agencies must take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties and afford the ACHP a reasonable opportunity to comment. Terminating consultation is among the strongest procedural tools available to the council, and it signals that the ACHP no longer considers the consultation process meaningful or workable.

The triumphal arch project has drawn sustained criticism from preservationists, architects, and historians since the Trump administration advanced the proposal. The ACHP's decision to withdraw from the Section 106 process removes a key regulatory checkpoint and shifts the dispute toward other venues, including potential litigation and public opposition.

For the National Park Service, the termination leaves the project without the council's participation in resolving adverse effects to historic resources. For the administration, it removes a formal objection channel but also removes the legitimacy that a completed consultation would have provided.

The Architect's Newspaper first reported the termination. The ACHP and the National Park Service have not publicly detailed the full contents of Voyles's notification, and further fallout — including whether advocacy groups will sue to force a renewed consultation — is expected in the coming weeks.