Doc Hastings: “as the author of the House version of the ``Manhattan Project National Historical Study Act'' I rise today to offer my…”

“as the author of the House version of the ``Manhattan Project National Historical Study Act'' I rise today to offer my support for this legislation. Senator Cantwell and I have worked together across party lines to develop this proposal because it's important to the people of Central Washington. And, because it presents a unique opportunity to share a piece of our Nation's history. I am pleased that our plan has been brought up for consideration today and I encourage my colleagues to support it. By providing for a study of our nation's Manhattan Project Sites, we take an important first step towards the goal of making Hanford's B Reactor into a museum. This is the first step in preserving the historic B Reactor for generations to come. In 1943, only months after Enrico Fermi first demonstrated that controlled nuclear reaction was possible, ground was broken on the B Reactor--which went on to become the first full-scale plutonium production reactor. An integral part of the Manhattan Project, B Reactor produced the plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki that helped win World War II. From a scientific standpoint, the B Reactor is a testament to American ingenuity and innovation. From a historical standpoint it represents a part of Central Washington's past and our Nation's past that should not be forgotten.”