03.09.04

Cantwell Continues Push for Hanford B Reactor Museum

Senator testifies on importance of protecting historic ‘Manhattan Project’ site

WASHINGTON, D.C . - U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) testified today before a Senate subcommittee, pushing for her legislation that would direct the National Park Service to study the possibility of making Hanford's historic B Reactor into a museum.

"The people of Washington state, and especially the residents of the Tri-Cities, are proud of their contributions to the World War II and Cold War efforts," Cantwell told the subcommittee today. "We are left with these irreplaceable relics of the Manhattan Project—such as the B Reactor—which are incredibly important in understanding the engineering achievements that propelled this country into the nuclear age, with all of the complicated moral issues it poses for the possessors of such technology."

Cantwell's bill, "The Manhattan Project National Historical Park Study Act," (S. 1687) was introduced last September. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the potential for developing the B Reactor and other key Manhattan Project facilities as historical sites. The Manhattan Project was the World War II effort to develop and construct the first atomic bomb.

In 1943, only months after Enrico Fermi first demonstrated that controlled nuclear reaction was possible, ground was broken on the B Reactor - which became the world's first full-scale plutonium production reactor. B Reactor produced the plutonium for the first-ever manmade nuclear explosion - the Trinity test in New Mexico, and for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Plutonium production at B Reactor continued until its decommission in 1968.

Organizations that support development of a B Reactor museum include: the B Reactor Museum Association, the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, and the Atomic Heritage Foundation.

In her statement today to the Senate's National Parks Subcommittee, Cantwell acknowledged the efforts of the B Reactor Museum Association and Bechtel Hanford, Inc. and commended Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA-04) for introducing similar legislation in the House (H.R. 3207).

Cantwell also submitted testimony to the subcommittee on behalf of Del Ballard, president of the B Reactor Museum Association.

Cantwell's prepared remarks follow below.

Cantwell's Prepared Remarks

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing today. I am particularly pleased that you have included on the agenda S. 1687, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Study Act, which I am proud to cosponsor along with my colleagues Sens. Bingaman, Domenici and Murray.

"This bill authorizes a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating one or more of the facilities that played a major role in the Manhattan Project as a unit of the National Park System.

"Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with my colleague in the House, Congressman Doc Hastings, who represents this area in Congress. He has introduced a very similar bill in the House.

"As you know, the Manhattan Project was the federal government's top-secret effort during World War II to develop nuclear weapons, an initiative that changed the course of world history. I believe it is tremendously important for the citizens of our nation to learn about the important functions the various Manhattan Project sites served in defending our nation, from World War II through the Cold War--including the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, in my home state of Washington.

"Further, we must recognize and understand the complicated and weighty issues arising from the production and use of nuclear weapons, their impact on world history as well as their human and environmental costs.

"In recent years, Congress has taken a number of steps to ensure we are preserving and interpreting the sites and stories from World War II. From the industrial mobilization effort, to the internment of Japanese Americans, to the World War II memorial on the National Mall, the story of World War II is a compelling one and deserves to be told. With the leadership of my colleague Sen. Feinstein, Congress in 2000 established the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Park in California, commemorating the contributions of American industry to the war effort.

"In 2002, President Bush signed into law the Bainbridge Island Japanese-American Memorial Study Act, authored by Sen. Murray and myself, along with Rep. Inslee. That legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to evaluate for designation as a National Historic Site the Eagledale Ferry Dock on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Eagledale served as a point of departure for members of the Japanese-American community, on their way to internment camps during World War II.

"While we cannot undue the injustices suffered by these citizens, certainly this nation must recognize their sacrifice and preserve the lessons we have learned.

"I look forward to the opening of the World War II memorial on the Mall to commemorate our veterans.

"And just as we must commemorate the contributions of our World War II veterans, we owe it to future generations to preserve the history of the Manhattan Project. Noteworthy for its awe-inspiring achievements of science and engineering, the Manhattan Project must also be understood within the context of its sweeping ramifications for U.S. defense policy and American military strength, as well as the sacrifice of our nation's atomic weapons workers, and the staggering mission of nuclear production.

"In January of 1943, Hanford, Washington was selected by the War Department to serve as a part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Manhattan Project plan. The site was selected for several reasons: it was remotely located from population centers, which fostered security and safety. The Columbia River provided plenty of water to cool the reactors; and cheap and abundant electricity was available from nearby federal dams.

"The history of this era is a complicated one—farmers and tribes were displaced, given 30 days to move from their homes in central Washington. By March 1943, construction had started on the site, which covers about 625 square miles. At the time, the primary mission of the Hanford reservation was to build the B Reactor. As American scientists and their allies engaged in what was then perceived as a race with the Germans to develop nuclear capability, the B Reactor was built in 11 months as the world's first large-scale plutonium production reactor. Quite simply, it was a stunning feat of engineering, which made significant contributions to U.S. national security during its production run, from 1944 through 1968. Plutonium from the B Reactor was used in the world's first nuclear explosion, called the Trinity test, in New Mexico on July 16, 1945; it was used in the ‘Fat Man' bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945; and it aided Cold War efforts until 1968.

"Mr. Chairman, the B Reactor was the first of an eventual nine nuclear reactors that remain on the banks of the Columbia River—a potent reminder of both the war effort and the costs of that Americans bore in the name of freedom.

"The people of Washington state, and especially the residents of the Tri-Cities, are proud of their contributions to the World War II and Cold War efforts. We are left with these irreplaceable relics of the Manhattan Project—such as the B Reactor—which are incredibly important in understanding the engineering achievements that propelled this country into the nuclear age, with all of the complicated moral issues it poses for the possessors of such technology.

"As the Department of Energy continues its work to clean up the Hanford Site, the country's most contaminated nuclear reservation, it is important that we also honor the achievements of the important work done here, as well as commemorate the tremendous sacrifices made by workers, displaced families and tribes, and this era's environmental legacy.

"There is already strong support in the communities that surround Hanford for preserving the history of the Manhattan Project, and I would like to commend the B Reactor Museum Association and Bechtel Hanford, Inc. for all their work to date. In recent years, they have worked hard to decontaminate, clean, inventory, and spruce up B Reactor's interior so that people can walk in to see three chambers. But more work needs to be done.

"Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit for the record testimony from Del Ballard, President of the B Reactor Museum Association as well as Congressman Hastings, in support of S. 1687. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure passage of this bill, as the study it authorizes is a much-needed first step in determining the best options for preserving this important piece of American history."