HR6365-119

What This Bill Does

The Wintergreen Emergency Egress Act amends a 1936 Blue Ridge Parkway right-of-way statute. It preserves the Secretary of the Interior's existing authority to issue certain rights-of-way and adds a new mandatory issuance provision for the right-of-way generally depicted as "Proposed Egress" on the September 2024 Blue Ridge Parkway map numbered 601/194,694 near milepost 9.6.

The Secretary must issue the proposed egress right-of-way after reporting to the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that three conditions have been satisfied. First, alternatives for emergency egress that do not cross federal land have been evaluated, including whether existing trails can be converted to roads. Second, expected fire ecology behavior during a fire emergency has been analyzed for the right-of-way. Third, required reviews have been completed under NEPA and the title 54 historic and cultural resource laws.

Who Benefits and How

Wintergreen property owners benefit from a statutory path toward a mapped emergency exit from the resort and residential community. Wintergreen residents benefit because an additional egress route can reduce evacuation risk during wildfire or other emergencies. Nelson County emergency responders benefit from clearer access planning near Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 9.6. Blue Ridge Parkway neighboring communities benefit if evacuation congestion and fire-response constraints are reduced. Congressional natural-resource committees benefit from a required report before the right-of-way is issued.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Secretary of the Interior must issue the right-of-way once the statutory prerequisites are met. National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway staff must evaluate non-federal alternatives, fire ecology behavior, NEPA requirements, and title 54 cultural-resource requirements. Environmental review staff must complete the required analysis before issuance. Cultural-resource review staff must complete historic and cultural-resource review. General park users may experience access, construction, or resource-management impacts if the emergency egress route is built.

Key Provisions

• Modifies the 1936 Blue Ridge Parkway right-of-way law.
• Requires issuance of the proposed Wintergreen emergency egress right-of-way near milepost 9.6.
• Requires evaluation of alternatives that do not cross federal land, including trail-to-road conversion.
• Requires analysis of expected fire ecology behavior during a fire emergency.
• Requires completion of NEPA review and title 54 historic and cultural-resource review.
• Requires reporting to House and Senate natural-resource committees before issuance.