ECA Treasurer and Los Alamos County Council Chair Kristin Henderson
ECA News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Moniz and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Jewell are holding a ceremony today to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) officially establishing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Washington, D.C.
Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) and its member communities have worked for almost 10 years to see the creation of Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Leaders of the communities that will host the Park will attend the ceremony.
“The Manhattan Project is an important story in our nation’s history and our communities appreciate the leadership of our senators and congressional members in ensuring that this story will be told to future generations,” said ECA Treasurer and Los Alamos County Council Chair Kristin Henderson.
ECA Vice-Chair and Mayor of Kennewick, Wash., Steve Young said, “Our communities are honored to be working together to tell the story of the Manhattan Project. The Park creates a real opportunity to preserve history while realizing the benefits the Park’s heritage tourism industry will create for our communities.”
ECA Secretary and Roane County, Tenn., Executive Ron Woody said, “The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will give current and future generations a better understanding of this indisputable turning point in world history. We look forward to telling that story together.”
Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch commented, “The science of the Manhattan Project laid the foundation for innovation in fields such as nuclear medicine and clean energy, which has enhanced the quality of our lives, helped keep us competitive in a global economy, and maintained our national security.”
Richland, Wash., Mayor David Rose said, “Not only is the creation of the Park going to preserve our nation’s history, they will tell the untellable Manhattan Project.”
ECA Chair and Aiken County (SC) Councilman Chuck Smith said, “All of our energy communities support the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, because it will identify and share an important moment in our history.”
“The leadership of the local governments and their congressional members along with DOE and NPS has made this a reality. The real winners are the communities and the thousands of hardworking men and women at Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford that helped bring an end to World War II and the future generations that will learn about their contribution to our country,” ECA Executive Director Seth Kirshenberg said.
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act became law as part of a provision passed in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. The Park establishes three different sites in Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Hanford, Wash. The park will conserve historic sites and artifacts that played a key role during the nuclear era while telling the story of the world’s first atomic bomb and exploring its historical and societal consequences.
ECA is a non-profit organization of local governments, which host or are adjacent to DOE sites. For further information about ECA, contact Ivana Brancaccio, ECA Program Manager at 202.828.2410 or Ivana@energyca.org.
