HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES MANHATTAN PROJECT PARK BILL

Legislation to establish a new Manhattan Project national park took a step forward yesterday, with the House Natural Resources Committee approving the measure by unanimous consent. The bill would require the Manhattan Project National Historical Park to be set up within one year and specifies the facilities and areas at Hanford, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge to be included in the national park. The bill would also require the Park Service and the Department of Energy to work together to ensure safe and secure access to the included locations. “The goal of this bill is to officially declare the importance of preserving this history of the Manhattan Project, provide access to the public, and involve the unique abilities of the Park Service to help tell this story. By establishing this Park, we seek to fully open the doors to the American people, as well as the world, to provide enhanced public access to these facilities where history unfolded,” House National Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), one of the sponsors of the bill, said in a release.