I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3207 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the preservation 

and interpretation of the historic sites of the Manhattan Project for 

potential inclusion in the National Park System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2003 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Resources 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study 

on the preservation and interpretation of the historic 

sites of the Manhattan Project for potential inclusion 

in the National Park System. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Manhattan Project Na5 tional Historical Park Study Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) The Manhattan Project, the World War II 

2 effort to develop and construct the first atomic 

3 bomb, represents an extraordinary era in the history 

4 of United States and the world that— 

5 (A) included remarkable achievements in 

6 science and engineering made possible by inno7 vative partnerships among many Federal agen8 cies, universities, and private industries; and 

9 (B) culminated in a transformation of the 

10 global society by ushering in the atomic age. 

11 (2) The Manhattan Project was an unprece12 dented $2,200,000,000, 3-year, top-secret effort that 

13 employed approximately 130,000 men and women at 

14 its peak. 

15 (3) The facilities of the Manhattan Project con16 tain historic resources that are crucial for the inter17 pretation of the Manhattan Project, including facili18 ties in— 

19 (A) Oak Ridge, Tennessee (where the first 

20 full-scale nuclear reactor and enrichment facili21 ties were built); 

22 (B) Hanford, Washington (where the first 

23 large-scale reactor for plutonium was built); 

24 and 
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1 (C) Los Alamos, New Mexico (where the 

2 atomic bombs were designed and built). 

3 (4) The Secretary has recognized the national 

4 significance in our Nation’s history of Manhattan 

5 Project facilities in the study area by— 

6 (A) designating the Los Alamos Scientific 

7 Laboratory in the State of New Mexico as a 

8 National Historic Landmark in 1965 and add9 ing the Laboratory to the National Register of 

10 Historic Places in 1966; 

11 (B) designating the X–10 Graphite Reac12 tor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 

13 the State of Tennessee as a National Historic 

14 Landmark in 1965 and adding the Reactor to 

15 the National Register of Historic Places in 

16 1966; 

17 (C) adding the Oak Ridge Historic District 

18 to the National Register of Historic Places in 

19 1991; 

20 (D) adding the B Reactor at the Hanford 

21 Site in the State of Washington to the National 

22 Register of Historic Places in 1992; and 

23 (E) by adding the Oak Ridge Turnpike, 

24 Bear Creek Road, and Bethel Valley Road 

25 Checking Stations in the State of Tennessee to 
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1 the National Register of Historic Places in 

2 1992. 

3 (5) The Hanford Site has been nominated by 

4 the Richland Operations Office of the Department of 

5 Energy and the Washington State Historic Preser6 vation Office for addition to the National Register of 

7 Historic Places. 

8 (6) A panel of experts convened by the Advisory 

9 Council on Historic Preservation in 2001 reported 

10 that the development and use of the atomic bomb 

11 during World War II has been called ‘‘the single 

12 most significant event of the 20th Century’’ and rec13 ommended that various sites be formally established 

14 ‘‘as a collective unit administered for preservation, 

15 commemoration, and public interpretation in co16 operation with the National Park Service’’. 

17 (7) The Advisory Council on Historic Preserva18 tion reported in 2001 that the preservation and in19 terpretation of the historic sites of the Manhattan 

20 Project offer significant value as destinations for do21 mestic and international tourists. 

22 (8) Preservation and interpretation of the Man23 hattan Project historic sites are necessary for 

24 present and future generations to fully appreciate 
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1 the extraordinary and complex consequences of the 

2 Manhattan Project. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

6 the Secretary of the Interior. 

7 (2) STUDY.—The term ‘‘study’’ means the 

8 study authorized by section 4(a). 

9 (3) STUDY AREA.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 

10 means the following Manhattan Project sites: 

11 (A) Los Alamos National Laboratory and 

12 townsite in the State of New Mexico. 

13 (B) The Hanford Site in the State of 

14 Washington. 

15 (C) Oak Ridge Laboratory in the State of 

16 Tennessee. 

17 (D) Other significant sites relating to the 

18 Manhattan Project determined by the Secretary 

19 to be appropriate for inclusion in the study. 

20 SEC. 4. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 

21 (a) STUDY.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 

23 a special resource study of the study area to assess 

24 the national significance, suitability, and feasibility 

25 of designating the various historic sites and struc-
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1 tures of the study area as a unit of the National 

2 Park System. Except as provided by subsection (b), 

3 the study shall be conducted in accordance with sec4 tion 8(c) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a– 

5 5(c)). 

6 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—In conducting the 

7 study, the Secretary shall— 

8 (A) consult with the Secretary of Energy, 

9 the Secretary of Defense, State and local offi10 cials, tribal governments, and representatives of 

11 affected communities and organizations; and 

12 (B) evaluate, in coordination with the Sec13 retary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense, 

14 the compatibility of designating the study area 

15 or any part of the study area as a national his16 toric site or national historical park with main17 taining security, productivity and management 

18 goals of the Department of Energy and the De19 partment of Defense, and public health and 

20 safety. 

21 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

22 on which funds are made available to carry out the study, 

23 the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that de-
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1 scribes the findings of the study and any conclusions and 

2 recommendations of the Secretary. 

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