To require the Secretary of the Interior to issue a right-of-way for an emergency exit on certain National Park Service land in the State of Virginia, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. McGuire (for himself, Mr. Wittman, Ms. McClellan, Mr. Griffith, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to grant a right-of-way for an emergency exit road through the Blue Ridge Parkway near Milepost 9.6 in Virginia. The road would provide emergency egress for the Wintergreen resort community, which currently has limited evacuation routes. Before granting the right-of-way, the Secretary must certify that environmental reviews (NEPA) and historic preservation reviews have been completed.
Who Benefits and How
- Wintergreen Resort and its property owners benefit from improved emergency evacuation access, reducing fire and disaster risks
- The resort community of approximately 6,000 property owners would have an additional escape route during wildfires or other emergencies
- Nelson County emergency responders gain improved access for emergency operations
- Environmental consulting firms may see contracts for required NEPA reviews
Who Bears the Burden and How
- The National Park Service must process the right-of-way and administer ongoing management
- Taxpayers indirectly bear the cost of federal reviews and road integration with parkland
- The Blue Ridge Parkway may see some impact on its scenic character from road construction
Key Provisions
- Changes existing law from "may issue" (discretionary) to "shall issue" (mandatory) for this specific right-of-way
- Requires completion of environmental review under NEPA before the right-of-way is granted
- Requires an evaluation of alternatives that do not cross federal land
- Requires a fire ecology behavior analysis
- Requires compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue a right-of-way for emergency egress on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Milepost 9.6 to serve the Wintergreen resort community in Virginia, subject to environmental and safety reviews.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Mandate specific right-of-way issuance for emergency access to private resort community through federal parkland, while maintaining environmental review requirements"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Wintergreen resort community residents and visitors
- Wintergreen Resort operators
- Nelson County, Virginia
- Emergency responders serving the area
Likely Burden Bearers
- National Park Service (administration)
- Blue Ridge Parkway management
- Taxpayers (review and implementation costs)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology