Hanford national historical park signing set for November

B Reactor’s status as part of a new national park is expected to become official Nov. 10 when the Departments of Energy and Interior sign a joint agreement in Washington, D.C.

Community leaders from the Tri-Cities have been invited to the signing ceremony for the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park, according to the Energy Communities Alliance. The park also will include historic areas at Los Alamos, N.M., and Oak Ridge, Tenn.

The agreement will cover the responsibilities of DOE, which will continue to own B Reactor, and the park service, which will lead efforts to provide information on the Manhattan Project. The agreement also will cover a periodic review process to allow more sites to be added to the park and a section on philanthropy, according to the Energy Communities Alliance.

In addition to B Reactor, the park eventually could include T Plant, where irradiated fuel was processed, and the few buildings that still stand that were owned by the settlers forced to give up their property for the secret project to produce weapons plutonium during World War II.

The park service plans a Scholars’ Conference before the signing ceremony to discuss the themes and interpretation of the Manhattan Project story for the new park, according to the Energy Communities Alliance.

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Hanford national historical park signing set for November."