[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 15, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9328-S9329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK STUDY ACT

  The Senate proceeded to consider the bill (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, which had been 
reported from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, with an 
amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

       (Strike the part shown in black brackets and insert the 
     part shown in italic.)

                                S. 1687

       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.

[[Page S9329]]

       [(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.]

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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

     SEC. 2. 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 3(a).
       (3) Study area.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``study area'' means the 
     historically significant sites associated with the Manhattan 
     Project.
       (B) Inclusions.--The term ``study area'' includes--
       (i) Los Alamos National Laboratory and townsite in the 
     State of New Mexico;
       (ii) the Hanford Site in the State of Washington; and
       (iii) Oak Ridge Reservation in the State of Tennessee.

     SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

       (a) Study.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Energy, shall conduct a special resource study 
     of the study area to assess the national significance, 
     suitability, and feasibility of designating 1 or more sites 
     within 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 interested Federal, State, tribal, and 
     local officials, representatives of organizations, and 
     members of the public;
       (B) evaluate, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, 
     the compatibility of designating 1 or more sites within the 
     study area as a unit of the National Park System with 
     maintaining the security, productivity, and management goals 
     of the Department of Energy and public health and safety; and
       (C) consider research in existence on the date of enactment 
     of this Act by the Department of Energy on the historical 
     significance and feasibility of preserving and interpreting 
     the various sites and structures in the study area.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 2 years 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 the conclusions and 
     recommendations of the Secretary.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are 
     necessary to carry out this Act.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
  The bill (S. 1687), as amended, was read the third time and passed.

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