Interior agrees to hold Solar Decathlon on National Mall

The Obama administration agreed Wednesday to hold the Solar Decathlon, a yearly event in which college students compete to build solar-powered homes, on the National Mall after being criticized by House Democrats about the location of the event.

The Department of Interior came to a compromise of sorts with House Democrats on the location of event. The department said Wednesday it would allow the event to be held on the Mall, but in a different location. Instead of being held between the Washington Monument and the Capitol, a prime piece of real estate, the event will take place on the west side of the Mall near the Potomac river.

“The National Mall is America’s Front Yard and we have a responsibility to do what is best for the long term health of the Mall,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement Wednesday. “I am pleased that we have been able to find a strong alternate location for the Solar Decathlon and I am looking forward to a successful event.”

Earlier this month, House Democrats blasted an initial decision by the Interior Department's National Park Service to block the decathlon from being held on the Mall because it would have interfered with plans to restore key parts of the national park.

The event, which is sponsored by the Department of Energy, will be held in the fall.