Friday, September 21, 2012

A-Bomb National Park Bill Fails

A bill to create a national park at the sites where the first atomic bomb was created has stalled in the House after failing to get a two-thirds majority. Lawmakers voted 237-180 in favor of creating the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, with 112 Republicans concerned about the cost voting against the GOP-sponsored bill, reports the Los Angeles Times. "At a time when we should be organizing the world toward abolishing nuclear weapons before they abolish us, we are instead indulging in admiration at our cleverness as a species," said Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the park's most vocal critic.

The proposed park would have include three sites in New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington state. Some nuclear waste remains at the sites but the Department of Energy has determined that they are safe to visit. The Interior Department supports the proposed park, calling the creation of the atomic bomb "one of the most transformative events in our nation’s history: It ushered in the atomic age, changed the role of the United States in the world community, and set the stage for the Cold War." The park's supporters hope to bring the bill back for another House vote later this year.

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