[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 134 (Thursday, September 18, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            COMMEMORATING HANFORD B's SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague Senator 
Cantwell to commemorate the Hanford B Reactor in our home State of 
Washington as we approach the 70th anniversary of the world's first 
full-scale self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. An essential part of 
the Manhattan Project, on September 26, 1944, the B Reactor was 
successfully energized to convert uranium into plutonium, an event 
known as going critical. The entire facility was built in only 13 
months, and only a handful of the 50,000 workers at the site knew what 
was being assembled. The speed and precision of the construction of the 
facility remain an engineering marvel today. It was not until later 
that the majority of these workers learned they had played a key role 
in the history of nuclear materials production in the United States and 
helped the U.S. win World War II and the Cold War.
  The B Reactor went on to operate for more than 20 years until 1968, 
making its mark on the 20th century. After ceasing operations, the B 
Reactor was to be encased in concrete like all the other reactors as 
part of the Hanford Reservation cleanup efforts. Given the B Reactor's 
historic role, I worked for many years with Senator Cantwell and the 
entire Washington delegation to ensure this piece of our nation's 
history is preserved for generations to come. After years of hard work, 
I was pleased when the U.S. Department of the Interior designated the B 
Reactor as a national historic landmark in 2008, and the B Reactor now 
receives more than 10,000 visitors a year from around the Nation and 
the world to see and experience this important part of world history. 
Today, the B Reactor remains a symbol for the Hanford Reservation, the 
entire Tri-Cities community, Washington State, and our Nation as a 
whole.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I join my colleague Senator Murray in 
commemorating this important day in American history. Seventy years 
ago, when the B Reactor went critical, it forever changed history and 
thrust society into the Atomic Age. On September 26, 1944 the Manhattan 
Project overcame a major obstacle when the B Reactor--the first full-
scale nuclear reactor--proved that it was possible to develop plutonium 
in large quantities, and the world was forever transformed. Our 
constituents in Washington State are reminded of that change daily, as 
the workers at the Hanford Reservation continue their efforts to clean 
up the legacy of the B Reactor and the eight other reactors built and 
operated at Hanford. The history of this fateful day and the entire 
Manhattan Project must be remembered so that our Nation has the 
opportunity to reflect on and learn from the important lessons this 
facility has to offer.
  Our collective work to designate the B Reactor as a national historic 
landmark is a great start, but the Manhattan Project story cannot be 
told at the B Reactor alone. This is why I am working with Senator 
Murray and our colleagues in Tennessee and New Mexico to establish the 
Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The Manhattan Project 
National Historical Park Act would commemorate the historic 
achievements made by the workers at the Hanford Reservation and at 
other Manhattan Project sites across the country. The men and women who 
worked on the B Reactor played an unforgettable role in our Nation's 
history, and it is important that we remember their lasting impact.
  Mrs. MURRAY. I commend Senator Cantwell for her work on the Manhattan 
Project National Historical Park Act and will continue to push this 
legislation forward with our colleagues in Congress. The 70th 
anniversary of the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor going 
critical is a fitting tribute and reminder that this landmark moment in 
history should be preserved for future generations through the creation 
of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

                          ____________________