[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 7 (Friday, January 12, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





               WINTERGREEN COMMUNITY NEEDS EMERGENCY EXIT

  (Mr. GOOD of Virginia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise to support the ongoing 
efforts of the Wintergreen community to build an emergency exit road to 
keep their residents safe.
  The Wintergreen community is located within the Blue Ridge National 
Park in Nelson County, Virginia, and is home to up to 10,000 residents 
at any given time. It is situated in a box canyon, but it only has one 
road that leads in or out.
  For 20 years, the community has tried to work with the Park Service 
to construct an emergency exit but has been denied every time. The 
community is trying to fund and create a 400-foot emergency exit road 
to the Blue Ridge Parkway, which would be critical to saving lives in 
the event of a fire.
  The Park Service continues to insist they do not have the authority 
to approve this action, so to remedy the situation, I am introducing 
the Blue Ridge Fire Safety Act to make it clear that the Park Service 
does have the authority to grant an emergency road construction permit.
  Madam Speaker, I hope that common sense will prevail and prioritize 
the safety of this community.

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