DC News

Green Groups To Sue Over Poplar Point Soccer Development Proposal

The Earth Conservation Corp, Anacostia and Potomac Riverkeepers, Sierra Club, DC ACORN and Friends of the Earth have given notice to the National Park Service, Navy, Army Corp of Engineers, Architect of the Capitol and the D.C. Government, that they intend to sue over development plans for Poplar Point.  Interestingly, instead of REPORTING the news, The Washington Post is siding with the plaintiffs via newspaper articles opposing the development.

The environmentalists claim the site is heavily polluted and will cost the city money in getting it cleaned up.  They were never concerned about pollution at this site before.  But now that a black developer wants to initiate needed economic development in an underdeveloped section of the city, all of a sudden these environmental groups have intense interest.

Marc Fisher of The Washington Post is the main culprit in working with the environmentalists to stop this project.  In a June 24, 2008 article, "Green Alliance Takes a Stand at Poplar Point," he points out some of the pollution and other items abiout the site:

The federal government agreed in 2006 to transfer the 110 acre park to the District to boost economic development.  For more than 20 years after World War II, the Navy had a mine research laboratory at Poplar Point with more than 90 buildings along the riverfront where naval personnel were trained to identify and disable underwater mines.  The concern now is unexploded ordnance (nobody has been concerned up until now).