U.S. President Barack Obama greets after speaking during the SelectUSA Investment Summit on March 23, 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland.
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On Friday, the Supreme Court fired a push from a defense group to temporarily halt the construction of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago Park.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by former President Donald Trump who is assigned the Midwest issues, denied the petition without remanding the case to the nine-member plenary.
Chicago nonprofit Protect Our Parks and some residents argued that the $ 700 million library would cause “serious environmental impacts” in Jackson Park, on the south side of Chicago.
They told the petition that the “uneven act” will lead to the destruction of at least 800 trees and that it will “have a significant impact on migratory birds and their nesting practices” and cause more “dust, noise and decreased quality.” of air, which compromises the public health of the surrounding community. “
“Once these trees are cut down, you can’t go back,” the group said.
They also complained that the government skirted the necessary regulatory revisions and illegally split the project in two to avoid considering alternative locations in the park.
“Throughout all public hearings, government agencies prevented anyone who wanted to have them from addressing avoidance and minimization issues,” the petition alleged.
They directly asked Barrett to freeze “new pioneering construction and excavation activities” and “cut down trees” in the park pending an appeal from a lower court rejection last week.
His emergency request called for a response before Monday, when construction began on the presidential center.
Barrett’s denial was not accompanied by any text or explanation.