19–006 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 112–676 

MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ACT 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, from the Committee on Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

together with 

ADDITIONAL VIEWS 

[To accompany H.R. 5987] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 5987) to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 

and Hanford, Washington, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 

recommend that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 5987 is to establish the Manhattan Project 

National Historical Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, 

New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The Manhattan Project was an unprecedented top-secret program implemented during World War II to produce an atomic bomb 

before Nazi Germany. In 2001, the Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation identified the development of the atomic bomb as ‘‘the 

single most significant event of the 20th century.’’ In 2004, Congress authorized a study of historic sites associated with the Manhattan Project to determine the suitability and feasibility of including such sites into the National Park System. In 2010, the National 

Park Service reported back positive recommendations to create a 


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national historical park composed of specific significant locations at 

Hanford, Washington, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Oak Ridge, 

Tennessee. 

H.R. 5987 authorizes the establishment of the historical park 

whose primary purposes are to improve public understanding of the 

Manhattan Project and its legacy. The legislation is designed to enhance public access to the historical park consistent with protection 

of public safety, national security, and other aspects of the mission 

of the Department of Energy. While H.R. 5987 establishes the 

Manhattan Sites Historical Park, it first allows a period of time for 

the Secretary of the Interior to further consider which of the specified locations will be available to the public and included in the 

boundaries of the park at its establishment, and which locations 

may be incorporated at a later date. 

Unlike other units of the National Park System, this historical 

park will contain facilities currently managed by the Department 

of Energy. In fact, the majority of the areas designated for inclusion in the historical park are Department of Energy facilities already owned by the federal government. These sites will remain 

under the jurisdiction of the Department of Energy, but the interpretive responsibilities will be led by the National Park Service. By 

establishing this park, historical facilities currently scheduled to be 

destroyed by the Department of Energy will instead be preserved 

and made available for public visitation. Protecting these facilities 

will reduce federal spending for these facilities’ remediation by millions of dollars, while the Park Service’s interpretative responsibilities will be undertaken from within the agency’s overall administrative budget. For example, the first full-scale nuclear reactor ever 

built, the B Reactor at the Hanford site in Washington state, would 

alone cost tens of millions of dollars to demolish, while facilitating 

safe and secure public access to the structure can occur under this 

park at a small fraction of the cost. Due to the unique circumstances of these facilities and ongoing government missions at 

these locations, the legislation requires coordination, planning and 

cooperation between the Park Service and the Department of Energy to ensure safe and secure access to these locations and protection of national security. Additionally, the Department of Energy 

would retain responsibility for any environmental remediation. 

H.R. 5987 contains significant private property rights protections. The legislation explicitly prohibits condemnation and requires written permission of owners before property may even be 

included within the historical park boundary. Furthermore, buffer 

zones are prohibited around the park boundaries and land acquisition may occur only by donation or exchange. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 5987 was introduced on June 21, 2012, by Congressman Doc 

Hastings (R–WA). The bill was referred to the House Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within Committee to the Subcommittee on 

National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. On June 28, 2012, the 

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a 

hearing on the bill. On July 11, 2012, the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on National 

Parks, Forests and Public Lands was discharged by unanimous 

consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was adopted 


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and ordered favorably to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides 

that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 

3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 5987—Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act 

H.R. 5987 would establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park from eligible sites in Tennessee, New Mexico, and 

Washington. Within one year of enactment, the legislation would 

require the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy to finalize the boundaries of the proposed park and to complete an agreement specifying how each department would administer properties included in it. H.R. 5987 also would require the 

National Park Service (NPS) to complete a general management 

plan for the park within three years after funds have been made 

available. 

The final costs of implementing H.R. 5987 would depend on 

which lands are chosen for inclusion in the new park unit. Based 

on information from the NPS, CBO estimates that including all eligible sites would cost $21 million over the 2013–2017 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Cost would be 

lower if fewer sites were included. Enacting H.R. 5987 would not 

affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

H.R. 5987 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von Gnechten. 

The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required by 

clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 

this bill does not contain any new budget authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. The 

final costs of implementing H.R. 5987 would depend on which lands 

are chosen for inclusion in the new park unit. Based on information 


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from the National Park Service, CBO estimates that including all 

eligible sites would cost $21 million over the 2013–2017 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Cost would be 

lower if fewer sites were included. 

3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 

clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective 

of this bill is to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and 

Hanford, Washington. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 


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ADDITIONAL VIEWS 

H.R. 5987 creates a new national park, the Manhattan Project 

National Historic Park, after over 8 years of study. The bill’s sponsors have correctly represented the recommendations made in the 

National Park Service’s Special Resource Study/Environmental Assessment. However, the legislation contains a crippling provision 

that impairs the ability of the National Park Service (NPS) to include relevant sites as part of the Historic Park. Specifically, the 

legislation would only allow the NPS to acquire new sites through 

donation or exchange. This limitation is a concern to the National 

Trust for Historic Preservation which supports the legislation but 

stated that the NPS should have the authority to acquire property 

with monies made available through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. During testimony on the legislation, the Executive 

Director of the Los Alamos Historical Society indicated that the 

NPS needed fee acquisition authority in order to acquire some 

properties from willing sellers in the future. H.R. 5987 should be 

amended to clarify that NPS can acquire property through purchase from a willing seller, donation, or exchange. 

EDWARD J. MARKEY. 

RAU ́ L M. GRIJALVA. 

BEN R. LUJA ́ N. 

Æ 


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