On March 7, 2013, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act (S. 507). The legislation would create a Manhattan Project National Historical Park with units at Hanford, WA; Los Alamos, NM; and Oak Ridge, TN.
“As Americans, we have a special obligation to preserve and protect our heritage, and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park will ensure that all Americans learn about the significance of the Manhattan Project and how it continues to shape our history,” said Senator Alexander. Similar bills were introduced in the 112th Congress, but failed to make it through a deadlocked Congress.
On February 19, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, visited the B Reactor and pledged to support a Manhattan Project Park. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Tom Udall (D-NM) are cosponsors of the bill.
In a press release, Senator Cantwell declared, “Giving historic sites at Hanford the same status as Independence Hall will help honor the groundbreaking engineering achievements and tremendous sacrifices of those who labored there.”
In the latest development, Representative Doc Hastings (R-WA), Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources and one of the proposed park’s strongest supporters, is expected to introduce a House version of the bill next week. The staff of the House and Senate have worked together to iron out differences between the two bills that died at the end of the last Congress. Next week we will learn how close the new House bill is to S. 507.
The Atomic Heritage Foundation will continue to work with our allies including the Energy Communities Alliance, National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and many others. This first step in the process is very promising. We will keep you updated!
Click here to view a joint press release by the Atomic Heritage Foundation and the National Parks Conservation Association.