HR6365-119

What This Bill Does

The enrolled Wintergreen Emergency Egress Act amends Interior's existing right-of-way authority to require issuance of a specific emergency-egress route near Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 9.6. The duty becomes mandatory only after the Interior Secretary reports to the House Natural Resources and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committees that three conditions are complete: evaluation of nonfederal alternatives, including possible conversion of existing trails to roads; analysis of expected fire ecology behavior during a fire emergency; and all required National Environmental Policy Act and title 54 cultural-resource reviews. The mapped route can then provide an additional evacuation option for the Wintergreen area. The bill does not waive environmental or historic-preservation review, appropriate construction funds, or direct the route to open before the stated prerequisites are met.

Who Benefits and How

Wintergreen residents and property owners benefit from a required path toward an additional emergency exit once federal review conditions are satisfied, reducing evacuation risk during a severe fire or other emergency. Nelson County emergency responders and evacuation planners benefit from a defined mapped corridor that can supplement existing access and support contingency planning for the mountain community. Congressional natural-resources committees and the public benefit from a report documenting alternative-route analysis, fire behavior, and completion of federal environmental and cultural reviews before issuance.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Department of the Interior and National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway staff must evaluate alternatives, analyze fire ecology, complete NEPA and title 54 reviews, report completion to Congress, issue the right-of-way, and administer its effects on federal land. Environmental and cultural-resource review staff must assess the proposed road corridor, while park-resource managers and users may bear construction, habitat, landscape, or access impacts if the right-of-way is developed after approval.

Key Provisions

• Requires issuance of the mapped Wintergreen emergency-egress right-of-way near Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 9.6 after all conditions are met.
• Requires evaluation of nonfederal alternatives, including whether existing trails could become roads.
• Requires analysis of expected fire ecology behavior during a fire emergency.
• Requires completion of NEPA and title 54 cultural-resource reviews.
• Requires Interior to report completion of those prerequisites to the two named congressional committees before issuing the right-of-way.