[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1687 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1687

   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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 30 (legislative day, September 29), 2003

 Mr. Bingaman (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, and Mrs. Murray) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                    on Energy and Natural 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 that--
            (1) the Manhattan Project, the World War II effort to 
        develop and construct the world's first atomic bomb, represents 
        an extraordinary era of American and world history that--
                    (A) included remarkable achievements in science and 
                engineering made possible by innovative partnerships 
                among 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 Manhattan Project sites contain historic resources 
        that are crucial for the interpretation of the Manhattan 
        Project, including facilities in--
                    (A) Oak Ridge, Tennessee (where the first uranium 
                enrichment facilities and pilot-scale nuclear reactor 
                were built);
                    (B) Hanford, Washington (where the first large-
                scale reactor for producing plutonium was built);
                    (C) Los Alamos, New Mexico (where the atomic bombs 
                were designed and built); and
                    (D) Trinity Site, New Mexico (where the explosion 
                of the first nuclear device took place);
            (4) the Secretary of the Interior has recognized the 
        national significance in American 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 Trinity Site on the White Sands 
                Missile Range in the State of New Mexico as a National 
                Historic Landmark in 1965 and adding the Site to the 
                National Register of Historic Places in 1966;
                    (C) 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;
                    (D) adding the Oak Ridge Historic District to the 
                National Register of Historic Places in 1991;
                    (E) adding the B Reactor at the Hanford Site in the 
                State of Washington to the National Register of 
                Historic Places in 1992; and
                    (F) 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; and
            (8) preservation and interpretation of the Manhattan 
        Project historic sites are necessary for present and future 
        generations to fully appreciate the extraordinary undertaking 
        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 Trinity Site on the White Sands Missile 
                Range in the State of New Mexico.
                    (C) The Hanford Site in the State of Washington.
                    (D) Oak Ridge Laboratory in the State of Tennessee.
                    (E) 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 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, tribal, and local 
                officials, representatives of interested organizations, 
                and members of the public; and
                    (B) evaluate, in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Energy and the Secretary of Defense, the compatibility 
                of designating the study area, or 1 or more parts of 
                the study area, as a national historical park or 
                national historic site 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.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
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