Manhattan Project Sites Study Act of 2004

This bill, which was signed into law in 2004, directed the Department of the Interior to study whether several historic Manhattan Project sites should be preserved as part of the National Park System. The study focused on three major locations involved in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II: Los Alamos, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Hanford, Washington.

For citizens, the practical impact of this legislation was the formal evaluation of these high-security government facilities for public access and historical preservation. This process eventually led to the creation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in 2015, allowing the public to visit and learn about the scientific and industrial history of the nuclear age while ensuring that ongoing research and safety operations at these sites remain protected.