Now mostly demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building is pictured above. The site could be included in a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)
A bill to create a Manhattan Project national park that would include Oak Ridge died in the last session of Congress, but the legislation could be revived this session.
“It will be reintroduced,†said Cindy Kelly, founder and president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. “We are very optimistic that the bill will move through the process.â€
Besides Oak Ridge, the park would also include sites in Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash.
A majority of U.S. House members voted for the legislation—the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act—in September, but the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the legislation under special rules.
The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Quoting a panel of experts, the legislation to create the park said the development and use of the atomic bomb during World War II was the single most significant event of the 20th century.
The U.S. Department of Interior, with the agreement of the U.S. Department of Energy, recommended the park be established.
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park could include the Alexander Inn, formerly known as The Guest House, in central Oak Ridge. Unused for about two decades, the run-down property is being converted into an assisted living center.
Sites in Oak Ridge that could have been included under the bill introduced during the last session of Congress included facilities, land, or property interests at Buildings 9204-3 and 9731 at the Y-12 National Security Complex, the K-25 Building site at the East Tennessee Technology Park, and the former Guest House, now called the Alexander Inn, in central Oak Ridge.
Sites in Los Alamos that could have been included would be in the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory National Historic Landmark District, the former East Cafeteria, and the former dormitory on 17th Street. Hanford sites that could be included are the B Reactor National Historic Landmark, Hanford High School in the town of Hanford and Hanford Construction Camp Historic District, White Bluffs Bank building, and the T Plant, among others.
Kelly said Rep. Doc Hastings, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, has vowed to reintroduce the bill and “push it very hard.”
“As chair, he has a lot of power and discretion over what gets through his committee,” she said.
Hastings is a Washington Republican who has championed the legislation. He introduced the bipartisan legislation, H.R. 5987, along with representatives Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee and Ben Lujan of New Mexico. It was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee in July.
Fleischmann is a Republican from Tennessee’s Third District, which includes Oak Ridge.
Similar legislation, S. 3300, was introduced in the Senate by Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman. Senators Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell, Tom Udall, and Lamar Alexander were sponsors of that legislation.
Alexander is a Tennessee Republican.
Kelly said Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat who has now retired, first sponsored legislation to require a National Park Service study of the proposed Manhattan Project park in 2003.
Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon has taken Bingaman’s place as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Kelly said, and Wyden has pledged to push those legislative items that were personally important to Bingaman, including the National Historical Park Act.
A Wyden representative wasn’t immediately available for comment Monday morning. Neither were media representatives for Hastings, Fleischmann, or Alexander.
Kelly said congressional staff members have worked very hard on the House and Senate bills, and they are substantively very similar. The legislative process should be easier this time, she said.
“It’s a very doable, workable starting place,” Kelly said.
One difference between the former House and Senate bills is that the House legislation didn’t give the National Park Service permission to buy property from a willing seller. Instead, the NPS could only acquire property through donations or exchanges.
This provision could affect property acquisitions at Los Alamos’ “Bathtub Row,” where top echelon and their families once lived and where properties could be worth several hundred thousand dollars. One compromise, Kelly said, would be to allow a limited amount of land to be acquired.
Kelly said it could cost an estimated $21 million over five years for the NPS to administer the three different sites, or a little more than $4 million per year.
But if the U.S. Department of Energy had to tear down the properties that could be saved, the cost could be closer to $200 million, she said.
The Atomic Heritage Foundation has worked on the bill for more than a decade and its partners have included the National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and local governments and historical organizations at the three major sites.
Ray Smith says
We have strong support for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park from a number of key national organizations. In addition to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, as is obvious in John’s article,
Support comes from Don Barger, Senior Regional Director of the Southeast Regional Office of the National Parks Conservation Association who was in Oak Ridge recently.
Here is what I wrote after talking with him at that time:
In a talk to the League of Women Voters in Oak Ridge on Tuesday,
Don Barger discussed the current difficulties national parks are facing with budget cuts likely and the resulting significant adverse impacts to our area’s economy.
He also briefly discussed the status of the Manhattan Project
National Park initiative that several folks in Oak Ridge have been working with Los Alamos, NM, Hanford, WA, and Washington DC, to get passed this past year without success. Don’s support has been
valuable as has the support of the National Parks Conservation
Association. While the house version of the bill to establish a new national park was supported by the majority, it failed to get the 2/3rds majority needed to bring it out of the committee.
Don indicated he and the National Parks Conservation Association
were continuing to pursue the passage of the bill in Congress and had plans to push for its consideration as soon as practical. He also indicated that Congressman Hastings of Washington state continued to fully support the legislation.
With the retirement of Senator Bingaman of New Mexico, a sponsor
for the bill in the Senate is needed.
Don also noted that the possibility of using the Antiquities Act, signed
into law on June 8, 1906, by President Teddy Roosevelt and used over 100 times in ensuing years. This law allows Presidents to designate property already owned by the government as restricted use such as National Monuments.
He expressed strong support for the creation of the Manhattan
Project National Park and said, “It is not just important for the nation,
but for the entire world.” He understands the importance of the introduction of the Nuclear Age and realizes that Oak Ridge, Los Alamos and Hanford played key roles in that military industrial project that literally changed the world forever. I am confident we will soon see that
Manhattan Project National Historical Park become a reality.
Having the support of Don Barger and the National Parks
Conservation Association is an important step in that direction.
Ray Smith
1-15-13
Additionally, the National Trust for Historic Preservation strongly supports our efforts. Nancy Tinker, the National Trust’s project manager for the Manhattan Project is a frequent visitor to Oak Ridge and provides updates at : http://savingplaces.org/introducing-manhattan-project-historic-sites
Of course, locally we are fortunate to have active and strong support from all our elected officials, local economic development organizations, the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Smoky Mountain National Park and many individuals who are aware of the effort and realize the value a park can bring to our city and the region.
As we progress toward forming the park, please know that information that is forthcoming from congressional action or other approaches will be made available as it is known. I certainly do appreciate Oak Ridge Today as well as The Oak Ridger and The Oak Ridge Observer, not to mention the several Facebook pages that have been created regarding Oak Ridge and those who tweet. As the park concept proceeds, updates will be posted on all these and others…
John Huotari says
Thank you, Ray.