Staff Reports
President Donald Trump’s splashy announcement that the Department of the Interior and Tom Fazio will remake East Potomac Golf Links into a “World Class Championship Golf Course” is the kind of bold, local project that gets people talking — and lawyers filing suit. The administration released Fazio renderings and a timeline: close the existing course on Nov. 15 and reopen in roughly 15 months. The problem isn’t the vision; it’s the legal and procedural mess already stacking up in court and on Capitol Hill.
What the plan promises
The project, pushed by Secretary Doug Burgum and branded by the administration as championship‑quality while remaining public and affordable, would convert East Potomac into an 18‑hole course meant to host major events. Officials say the course will stay open to locals at “highly discounted rates,” and that the USGA, PGA of America and PGA Tour have been notified — though no one has produced signed commitments for majors yet. If true, the job creation and tourism boost could matter to Washington’s economy. If not, it’s campaign talk dressed up in renderings.
The litigation and red tape already piling up
Not surprisingly, opponents moved fast. The D.C. Preservation League and local golfers sued, alleging the Department of the Interior skipped required environmental and historic‑preservation reviews under NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act. They also raise alarms about soil contamination and debris. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes hasn’t shut the project down, but she has put limits on what the government can do while the case proceeds. In plain English: the timeline Mr. Trump announced is at serious risk of being delayed or altered by the courts.
Why process matters — and why obstruction does, too
Let’s be clear: environmental reviews, historic‑preservation consultations, and public‑access protections exist for a reason. The National Mall and Hains Point are busy public spaces, and people use them for more than golf. If contamination or improper dumping occurred, it must be investigated. But there’s also a pattern here: every local redevelopment that promises jobs and public benefits draws a ready-made army of lawyers and interest groups eager to stop change. Democrats in Congress and preservation activists can ask questions. Fine. But asking shouldn’t become a way to freeze every improvement forever.
The smart path is simple: the Department of the Interior should publish the contracts, the procurement timetable, and the environmental studies. The court should move the case along without reflexive injunctions that halt work when a fixable paperwork issue is alleged. And the administration should back its claims about affordable public access and majors with signed agreements, not press releases. If East Potomac becomes a great public course run right, locals win, golfers win, and the city gets jobs. If it becomes another political battlefield, everyone loses — especially the grass.
