Spokesman Review – While most people think of national parks as sites of natural splendor, there’s merit to recognizing and promoting centers of human ingenuity, too.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation recently pushing the idea of establishing a national park that honors the Manhattan Project. After a tour of the historic B Reactor, Salazar said: “We have not yet done a good enough job of telling the story of World War II and the nuclear era born out of the war.â€
Accompanying Salazar were U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and Gov. Chris Gregoire. Hastings and Cantwell are going to team up on legislation that would incorporate the sites at Hanford, Los Alamos, N.M., and Oak Ridge, Tenn., in forming a new national park.
As one of the most beautiful states in the union–and one of the richest in natural resources–Washington has a special interest in energy and environmental policy. And Maria has fought hard to uphold the state’s conservation tradition, while also working to bring our energy policy into the 21st century.
Maria knows Washington’s business community – because, as an executive at an innovative software company, she was part of it. And as a Senator, she’s led the way in helping businesses large and small throughout Washington grow, thrive, and create jobs.
Maria has taken a leadership role on safety and security issues, including defending our borders, strengthening our military, cracking down on gangs, and taking on drug crime in Washington communities
Middle-class families around Washington and across the country are facing tough times–and tough decisions about balancing the family checkbook each month. Maria has fought to strengthen the economic security of Washington families and cut taxes for middle-class families.
