Congress discussed plans Wednesday to create a new national historic park that would include a site in Oak Ridge.
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park would commemorate the atomic age, and includes sites in Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington.
Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan spoke at the committee meeting in Washington, D.C. Wednesday on behalf of all three communities to express support for the measure.
"Our communities have been working for many years to preserve the history of the Manhattan Project at our sites. We feel that now is the time to pass the bill that would lead to the establishment of the National Historical Park," said Mayor Beehan.
Oak Ridge has already put together some designs for their portion of the park if it is approved.
Previous story
A bill filed Thursday in Congress could lead to the creation of a national park in Oak Ridge.
Congressman Doc Hastings of Washington state filed a bill that would create a Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
The park would include sites in Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington.
The City of Oak Ridge has already put together some designs for the park if it is approved, and the Department of Energy has started preserving some key elements of the Manhattan Project in anticipation of a park.
Governor Bill Haslam is excited about the possibility of a national park coming to Oak Ridge. He says this would be good for the state, but it's also an important part of preserving history.
"As a country, the further we get away from those significant events, I think maybe the more we should remind people that it happened," he said.
Hearings in House and Senate committees are set for next week.