Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration today announced that it will ask Congress to establish a national historic park to commemorate the Manhattan Project.  The idea for the park stems from legislation U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman wrote into law in 2004; then-Rep. Tom Udall, now a U.S. senator, was a cosponsor of the measure in the House of Representatives.

Bingaman's "Manhattan Project National Historical Park Study Act," signed into law by President George W. Bush, directed the National Park Service to work with the Department of Energy to prepare a special study to assess the feasibility of designating historically significant Manhattan Project facilities as parts of a National Historical Park, including facilities at Los Alamos in New Mexico, the Hanford Site in Washington, and at Oak Ridge in Tennessee.  The study was a necessary first step toward the creation of a new National Historical Park.

The recently-completed study recommends establishing the national historic park – a conclusion endorsed by the Department of Energy.  In an announcing the proposal today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar explained that DOE would continue managing and operating the facilities associated with the Manhattan Project that are within the Los Alamos National Laboratory, while the National Park Service would provide interpretation and education in connection with those resources.

The National Park Service also would work with the community and other stakeholders to identify appropriate ways to provide assistance and help preserve Manhattan Project sites in the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory National Historic Landmark District in the townsite, such as the Oppenheimer House on "Bathtub Row".

Operating from December, 1942, until September, 1945, the Manhattan Project was a $2.2 billion effort that employed 130,000 workers at its peak, but was kept largely secret and out of public view.

"The Manhattan Project was one of the most important events in our nation's history.  I believe it is important for us to acknowledge its legacy, and a National Historical Park is the best way to achieve that goal," Bingaman said.  "In the coming months, I will be working on legislation to make this park a reality."

"Telling the story of the Manhattan Project will serve as a useful educational tool - especially for those generations who didn't live through World War II or the Cold War. I commend Senator Bingaman's leadership in calling for this study in 2004, and am pleased that we are now taking the next important step toward preserving this history for future generations," Udall said.

In conducting the study, the National Park Service undertook an extensive public involvement process engaging state and local governments, private property owners, interested organizations, and others.  Through this process, strong public support emerged for preserving resources associated with the Manhattan Project and making the story of this remarkable effort more broadly known.