[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 HANFORD B-REACTOR--50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, this year we commemorate the 50th 
anniversary of the construction of the Hanford B-reactor; the world's 
first full-sized nuclear reactor. Given the profound impact that the B-
reactor and its successors have had on our Nation's history, I would 
like to take a moment to recognize the tremendous contributions and 
sacrifices made by the Hanford community during the early days of the 
Manhattan project.
  As many of my colleagues know, the first controlled nuclear reaction 
took place in a squash court beneath the University of Chicago football 
stadium on December 2, 1942. From then on the Army moved with 
remarkable speed to select a full-scale plutonium production site. E.I. 
du Pont de Nemours drafted site selection criteria for the Army just 2 
weeks later, and Army scouts set out to look for a site that was 
isolated from population centers, had a plentiful water supply, and had 
access to ample electricity. Hanford fit this description to the 
letter, and the site was selected just 1 month after the Chicago 
experiment on January 2, 1943.
  The Army used its authority under the War Powers Act to purchase 625 
square miles of land for $5.1 million. The purchased lands included the 
townsite of Hanford and White Bluffs and some 50,000 acres of 
productive farmland. More than 1,300 people were uprooted, many of whom 
were forced to move within 30 days. Despite the fact that property 
valuations were less than generous, most residents viewed the 
disruption as another noble sacrifice for the war effort.
  Once the Hanford area was secured by the Army, the influx of workers 
began. Recruiting pamphlets were circulated nationally proclaiming,

       There's a job for you at Hanford. It's not a short job and 
     it's not a small job. We can't tell you much about it because 
     it's an important war job, but we can tell you it's new heavy 
     industrial plant construction.

  Thousands heeded the call looking for a good job, a better life, and 
a chance to be part of a new, growing community. The Hanford camp was 
built to provide housing and services for the newcomers, eventually 
growing to over 1,100 buildings including a bank, a hospital, an 
auditorium, taverns, and other amenities. The camp quickly grew large 
enough to feed, house, and entertain some 51,000 workers and 8 mess 
halls each served 2,700 meals 3 times per day. The taverns sold 12,000 
gallons of beer a week and the camp soon became the largest general 
delivery post office in the world.
  In just over a year, the residents of Hanford camp managed to 
construct the world's first full-sized nuclear reactor--despite the 
fact that almost none of the workers knew what it was they were 
building. This remarkable achievement has been recognized by the 
American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Nuclear 
Society, and will receive additional attention this Saturday when the 
B-reactor is designated as a civil engineering landmark by the Society 
of Civil Engineers. The B-reactor has also been entered into the 
National Park Service's Register of Historic Places.
  B-reactor went crucial just after midnight on the evening of 
September 26, 1944, and eventually produced the plutonium used in one 
of the bombs that ended World War II. It is difficult legacy for many 
of those who worked on the B-reactor, but it is clear that those people 
have reason to be tremendously proud of what they accomplished.
  Although the Hanford camp was dismantled 3 years after its 
construction, a more permanent community emerged as Hanford settled 
into its role as a cold war production site. Richland, Pasco, and 
Kennewick, known collectively as the Tri-Cities, have since endured a 
long series of boom and bust cycles as defense production needs have 
changed. Through it all the community has maintained its steadfast 
dedication to the Hanford mission.
  The Tri-Cities now claim well over 150,000 residents, and have become 
one of the State's fastest growing regions. The agriculture, food 
processing, and high-technology industries have all thrived in recent 
years, and the region's pleasant climate, well-educated population, and 
access to transportation will make it attractive to industry for many 
years to come.
  Despite this recent growth in non-Hanford related industry, the 
economy of the Tri-Cities is still largely dependent on Hanford. More 
than 15,000 people are currently employed at Hanford, and thousands 
more jobs depend directly upon site activities. The vast majority of 
Hanford activity is now related to site cleanup.
  As it is widely recognized that the site's environmental restoration 
mission cannot sustain current employment levels indefinitely, Tri-
Cities leaders have been pursuing economic diversification with a vigor 
and sense of purpose reminiscent of the early days of the Manhattan 
project. In many ways, the challenge is equally daunting.
  Mr. President, the Tri-Cities area has come a long way since the 
construction of the B-reactor. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of 
the birth of Hanford, I hope my colleagues will take a moment to 
consider the enormous contributions to national security made by 
Hanford workers over this period. I also hope they will be sympathetic 
to the needs of the community as it pursues its cleanup mission and 
strives to diversify its economy. We owe it to these people to be as 
supportive as we possibly can.

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