Reflecting Pool renovation spirals from $1.5M to nearly $20M amid errors and legal disputes
A $2.65 million contract awarded to American Ag Energy Inc. pushed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool refurbishment to almost $20 million, far above the original $1.5 million estimate.
The Trump administration granted American Ag Energy Inc. a $2.65 million deal to fix water-purification gear at the Reflecting Pool, raising total project costs to nearly $20 million. Repeated algae blooms and a faulty blue sealant that peeled soon after application caused the overruns. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro moved to drop vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn after the Interior Department acknowledged the liner damage resulted from installation mistakes. Hearn’s lawyers argue the case was a politically driven attack linked to Donald Trump.
Why it matters
Taxpayers face a massive cost overrun on a historic monument, and the legal case raises concerns about politicized prosecutions.
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