RICHLAND — Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., is questioning what he calls "vague assertions and conclusions" in a National Park Service draft study that eliminated B Reactor for consideration as part of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

None of the alternatives in the draft study appeared to provide for the preservation and interpretation of the historically compelling technical facilities at Manhattan Project sites at Hanford, in Tennessee or in New Mexico, he wrote in a letter Friday to Jon Jarvis, director of the park service.

The only site the draft study considered for inclusion in a possible national park was the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory National Landmark in New Mexico, which would at least likely include some homes where scientists lived.

The park service eliminated B Reactor and technical facilities at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., nuclear site, finding there were questions of public access, safety, site ownership and financial liability. It also found that the operation of a park encompassing them "would likely be very expensive relative to other national historical parks."

Before a final report is developed, the park service needs to work closely with the Department of Energy to learn more about perceived issues of access and about DOE's continuing role and obligation to own and maintain facilities such as B Reactor, Hastings wrote. The final decision on whether a Manhattan Project National Historical Park will be formed and whether it would include historic B Reactor rests with Congress.

B Reactor, which looks much as it did during World War II, was the world's first production-scale plutonium reactor. It produced plutonium for the first atomic explosion and for the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, helping end the war.

DOE already has proved that it's not only feasible but safe for the public to visit B Reactor, Hastings wrote. Tours of the reactor fill within minutes of the opening of registration, he wrote. Although it's on the closed Hanford nuclear reservation where environmental cleanup is being done, several routes to the reactor that would not interfere with cleanup activities elsewhere on the site have been identified, he wrote.

"Those realities are not reflected in the draft study," Hastings wrote.

Because DOE is and would continue to be the owner of B Reactor, it would be responsible for maintenance and safety, he said.

He also questioned the park service's concerns about cost.

It does not need to buy land at Hanford, Los Alamos or Oak Ridge, and DOE would continue to bear the costs associated with ownership, maintenance and preservation of historic facilities. That means "it is highly unlikely that a park encompassing all three sites would be more expensive than most other National Park Service units," he wrote.

"In fact, it is far more likely that such a park would cost much less," he wrote.

The park service needs to provide a complete assessment of costs, including the data it used for the draft report and the costs of a park including just Los Alamos versus one including historic facilities at all three sites, he wrote.