Diesel fuel has spilled onto the National Mall at least twice in the past two weeks during preparations for an event celebrating the country’s 250th birthday, according to a government document and a spokeswoman for the Interior Department.
The first spill occurred on May 20 and contaminated a cistern that provides water for irrigating the grass on the Mall in the heart of Washington, according to the document and the spokeswoman. The second incident happened Wednesday night, and its environmental impact remains unclear.
The total amount of diesel released on the Mall is not certain. The federal government said the first spill involved 30 gallons of fuel, while the nonprofit organizing the event said it was between 2 gallons and 2.5 gallons. Neither party said how much fuel leaked in the second incident.
In both cases, the fuel came from supply lines connected to diesel-powered lighting systems installed for the Great American State Fair, a 16-day event that is set to kick off on June 25 and transform the Mall into a sprawling festival ground.
Event Strategies Inc., a Virginia-based firm withclose ties to the Trump administration, was overseeing the installation of the lighting systems. The same firm helped organize a rally at the White House Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, where President Trump addressed a crowd about the 2020 election before some of his supporters stormed the Capitol.
Event Strategies was hired by Freedom 250, a nonprofit established by the administration to oversee a number of events celebrating America’s 250th birthday. In addition to the fair, Freedom 250 is planning anIndyCar racearound the Mall and anUltimate Fighting Championshipmatch on the White House lawn.
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Source: Drudge Report
