• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Guest column: Progress on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act

Posted at 11:56 pm July 15, 2013
By Atomic Heritage Foundation Leave a Comment

K-25 Building Aerial View

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)

There has been significant movement in both the House and Senate on the pending legislation to create a national historical park for the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge as well as Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash.

On June 14, the House of Representatives voted to include the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), H.R. 1960. A few hours later, the House passed the NDAA and, along with it, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act. The Manhattan Project Park Act, and the NDAA amendment, was sponsored by representatives Doc Hastings (R-WA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN).

The same day, the Senate Committee on Armed Services completed its markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014. Next, the full Senate must pass the bill. Once the Senate acts, a House-Senate conference committee will be appointed to reconcile differences between the two versions of the NDAA.

Assuming that the Manhattan Project National Historical Park bill stays as a part of the final NDAA, the next step is for the House and Senate to pass the NDAA and send it to the President for his signature. At that point, the legislation becomes law.

In the meantime, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), along with senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and several others, have been an important advocates of the Manhattan Project legislation in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Sen. Ron Wyden, chairman of the Committee, reported the legislation out of committee on June 27 (Committee report No. 113-65) and placed the bill on Senate Legislative Calendar (no. 119) under General Orders.

The Senate leadership must decide which path to enactment for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act is most advantageous. The Senate is considering a strategy to enact a collection of park bills that have been reported out of Committee this year as part of a possible public lands omnibus bill. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park bill may be part of that collection.

Either way, things are moving toward enactment. Thanks to the leadership of the Tennessee Congressional delegation and the ardent support of the City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, and many others, we can look forward to a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Stay tuned to further developments this summer or fall.

Cynthia C. Kelly

President, Atomic Heritage Foundation

Filed Under: Guest Columns, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Atomic Heritage Foundation, Ben Ray Lujan, Chuck Fleischmann, City of Oak Ridge, Cynthia C. Kelly, Doc Hastings, Hanford, House of Representatives, Lamar Alexander, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act, Maria Cantwell, National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, Ron Wyden, Senate

Advertisements

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More U.S. Department of Energy News

Demolition work at ORNL radioisotope lab could be complete this spring

A view of the demolition of a hot cell inside a protective cover at the former Radioisotope Development Lab at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy UCOR) Demolition work at a former radioisotope laboratory … [Read More...]

National Park Service asks for public comments about Manhattan Project Park

An undated aerial photo posted online by the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management shows the former K-25 Building, once the world's largest building, in west Oak Ridge. The building has … [Read More...]

ORAU will support COVID-19 communications for CDC Office of Minority Health & Health Equity

ORAU was recently awarded a contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) to provide technical communications support to the office and three COVID-19 … [Read More...]

Virtual talks on Weinberg and his archived papers on Apr. 20

“A Tribute to Alvin Weinberg,” including information on the new online database of his scientific publications and other documents, will be presented virtually to the public from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 20 (Weinberg’s … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION AT 103 PALLADIUM WAY, HORIZON CENTER INDUSTRIAL PARK, OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE (DOE/EA-2159) The U.S. … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • THDA grant will help with down payment assistance in Oak Ridge
  • Demolition work at ORNL radioisotope lab could be complete this spring
  • Final Breakfast with the Legislators of the year is Monday
  • Roane State has training exercise Wednesday
  • Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge this weekend
  • National Park Service asks for public comments about Manhattan Project Park
  • DEA Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday
  • Register online now for ORICL summer courses
  • Roane State to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Oak Ridge for students & employees
  • ORAU will support COVID-19 communications for CDC Office of Minority Health & Health Equity

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today