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Manhattan Project Park formally established in DC ceremony

Posted at 11:20 am November 10, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Sally-Jewell-Ernest-Moniz-Manhattan-Project-National-Historical-Park-Nov-10-2015-1

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz shortly after they signed a memorandum of agreement and created the 409th park in the National Park System, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The park was authorized by Congress in December 2014. The park will have three sites in Los Alamos, New Mexico; Hanford, Washington; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The ceremony took place at the South Interior Building in Washington, D.C., on November 10, 2015. (NPS Photo by Anthony DeYoung.)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. Nov. 11.

After more than a decade of work, the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Interior formally established the Manhattan Project National Historical Park on Tuesday. The new park, which includes Oak Ridge, commemorates one of the signature scientific achievements of the 20th century. It was formally established when Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz signed a memorandum of agreement, or MOA, in Washington, D.C.

The unique, three-site Manhattan Project National Historical Park includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. It’s the nation’s 409th park.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II—before Germany could. It was an unprecedented national program, a world-changing event that harnessed the atom, and the largest industrial project ever, employing 130,000 people at just the three park sites. Whole cities and gigantic industrial plants were built in just a few short years, and Oak Ridge quickly swelled to a population of 75,000. Plants like the B Reactor at Hanford, the world’s first large-scale plutonium production reactor, were built in 11 months, still considered a marvelous feat today. The Manhattan Project is credited with helping to end World War II through its creation of the two atomic bombs dropped over Japan in August 1945.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, officials said the Manhattan Project was a groundbreaking scientific and engineering achievement that helped end the war, ushered in the nuclear age and new discoveries, and determined how the Cold War would be fought. But it also raised important moral questions about the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons. Officials vowed to tell all sides of the story during the signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning.

“You can trust us with this story,” National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said. “We will be fair to all.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alexander Inn, atomic bombs, B Reactor, Beta 3, Building 9204-3, Building 9371, Cold War, D. Ray Smith, Department of the Interior, Ernest Moniz, Graphite Reactor, Hanford, Hiroshima, Jonathan B. Jarvis, K-25 Building, Lamar Alexander, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, memorandum of agreement, MOA, Nagasaki, National Defense Authorization Act, National Park Service, NPS, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sally Jewell, Tom Beehan, Tom Udall, U.S. Department of Energy, Vic Knox, World War II, X-10, Y-12 National Security Complex

Interior, Energy to sign agreement establishing Manhattan Project Park

Posted at 6:41 pm November 9, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Building 9204-3 at Y-12

Building 9204-3 at the Y-12 National Security Complex could be among those included in a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Also known as Beta 3, Building 9204-3 has beta calutrons that produced stable isotopes until 1998 and are still on standby. (Photo courtesy of Y-12 National Security Complex.)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will sign a memorandum of agreement, or MOA, in Washington, D.C., to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which will include Oak Ridge.

The new park will be the first of its type to commemorate the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. The park will have three locations: Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington.

National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis will attend the Tuesday morning ceremony along with U.S. senators Lamar Alexander, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, and Tom Udall, who represent each of the park’s locations. Leaders of the communities that will host the park, including Oak Ridge, will attend the ceremony. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Top Stories Tagged With: Alexander Guest House, Building 9731, Department of the Interior, Ernest Moniz, Graphite Reactor, Hanford, Jonathan B. Jarvis, K-25 Building, Lamar Alexander, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, memorandum of agreement, MOA, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, Sally Jewell, Tom Udall, U.S. Department of Energy, X-10, Y-12 National Security Complex

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