Oak Ridge Today

House passes Manhattan Project Park provision, now up to Senate

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By Atomic Heritage Foundation

On May 22, the House of Representatives approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015, which includes a bipartisan provision to establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The new park will have units at Los Alamos, N.M., Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Hanford, Wash.

U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, has led efforts in the House and said: “This is a positive step toward establishing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. There is strong, bipartisan support for this measure, and it enjoys broad support from local communities and national advocates for historic preservation and parks. The goal is to enact this into law before the end of this year and today’s action demonstrates real progress towards achieving it.” [Read more…]

House committee to vote on Manhattan Project historical park Wednesday

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park House Hearing

Pictured above at a June 28 U.S. House hearing on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act are, from front left, Cindy Kelly, Atomic Heritage Foundation president; Heather McClenahan, executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society; and D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian. Gary Petersen, Tri-City Development Council vice president, is pictured in the background. (Photo courtesy of Atomic Heritage Foundation)

A U.S. House committee will vote Wednesday on a bill to create a Manhattan Project historical park that would include Oak Ridge, Rep. Doc Hastings announced Friday.

The legislation will be considered by the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Hastings is chair of that committee and sponsor of the bill, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act. He represents the Hanford site in Washington, which would also be part of the national park.

“I expect the Committee will vote to favorably advance the bill to the full House for consideration,” Hastings said in a news release. “A great many volunteers have been working for years to bring this idea into reality, and I’m pleased that progress is being made in the law-making process to preserve this amazing and important piece of our nation’s history.”

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