[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3207 Introduced in House (IH)]






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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Manhattan Project National 
Historical Park Study Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Manhattan Project, the World War II effort to 
        develop and construct the first atomic bomb, represents an 
        extraordinary era in the history of United States and the world 
        that--
                    (A) included remarkable achievements in science and 
                engineering made possible by innovative partnerships 
                among many Federal agencies, universities, and private 
                industries; and
                    (B) culminated in a transformation of the global 
                society by ushering in the atomic age.
            (2) The Manhattan Project was an unprecedented 
        $2,200,000,000, 3-year, top-secret effort that employed 
        approximately 130,000 men and women at its peak.
            (3) The facilities of the Manhattan Project contain 
        historic resources that are crucial for the interpretation of 
        the Manhattan Project, including facilities in--
                    (A) Oak Ridge, Tennessee (where the first full-
                scale nuclear reactor and enrichment facilities were 
                built);
                    (B) Hanford, Washington (where the first large-
                scale reactor for plutonium was built); and
                    (C) Los Alamos, New Mexico (where the atomic bombs 
                were designed and built).
            (4) The Secretary has recognized the national significance 
        in our Nation's history of Manhattan Project facilities in the 
        study area by--
                    (A) designating the Los Alamos Scientific 
                Laboratory in the State of New Mexico as a National 
                Historic Landmark in 1965 and adding the Laboratory to 
                the National Register of Historic Places in 1966;
                    (B) designating the X-10 Graphite Reactor at the 
                Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the State of Tennessee 
                as a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and adding the 
                Reactor to the National Register of Historic Places in 
                1966;
                    (C) adding the Oak Ridge Historic District to the 
                National Register of Historic Places in 1991;
                    (D) adding the B Reactor at the Hanford Site in the 
                State of Washington to the National Register of 
                Historic Places in 1992; and
                    (E) by adding the Oak Ridge Turnpike, Bear Creek 
                Road, and Bethel Valley Road Checking Stations in the 
                State of Tennessee to the National Register of Historic 
                Places in 1992.
            (5) The Hanford Site has been nominated by the Richland 
        Operations Office of the Department of Energy and the 
        Washington State Historic Preservation Office for addition to 
        the National Register of Historic Places.
            (6) A panel of experts convened by the Advisory Council on 
        Historic Preservation in 2001 reported that the development and 
        use of the atomic bomb during World War II has been called 
        ``the single most significant event of the 20th Century'' and 
        recommended that various sites be formally established ``as a 
        collective unit administered for preservation, commemoration, 
        and public interpretation in cooperation with the National Park 
        Service''.
            (7) The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation reported 
        in 2001 that the preservation and interpretation of the 
        historic sites of the Manhattan Project offer significant value 
        as destinations for domestic and international tourists.
            (8) Preservation and interpretation of the Manhattan 
        Project historic sites are necessary for present and future 
        generations to fully appreciate the extraordinary and complex 
        consequences of the Manhattan Project.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Study.--The term ``study'' means the study authorized 
        by section 4(a).
            (3) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means the 
        following Manhattan Project sites:
                    (A) Los Alamos National Laboratory and townsite in 
                the State of New Mexico.
                    (B) The Hanford Site in the State of Washington.
                    (C) Oak Ridge Laboratory in the State of Tennessee.
                    (D) Other significant sites relating to the 
                Manhattan Project determined by the Secretary to be 
                appropriate for inclusion in the study.

SEC. 4. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a special 
        resource study of the study area to assess the national 
        significance, suitability, and feasibility of designating the 
        various historic sites and structures of the study area as a 
        unit of the National Park System. Except as provided by 
        subsection (b), the study shall be conducted in accordance with 
        section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
            (2) Administration.--In conducting the study, the Secretary 
        shall--
                    (A) consult with the Secretary of Energy, the 
                Secretary of Defense, State and local officials, tribal 
                governments, and representatives of affected 
                communities and organizations; and
                    (B) evaluate, in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Energy and the Secretary of Defense, the compatibility 
                of designating the study area or any part of the study 
                area as a national historic site or national historical 
                park with maintaining security, productivity and 
                management goals of the Department of Energy and the 
                Department of Defense, and public health and safety.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which funds 
are made available to carry out the study, the Secretary shall submit 
to Congress a report that describes the findings of the study and any 
conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
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