[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2347-H2348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WINTERGREEN EMERGENCY EGRESS ACT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 6365) 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, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6365
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wintergreen Emergency Egress
Act''.
SEC. 2. RIGHT-OF-WAY FOR EMERGENCY EXIT, BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY.
Section 2 of the Act of June 30, 1936 (49 Stat. 2041,
chapter 883; 54 Stat. 250, chapter 277; 16 U.S.C. 460a-3), is
amended--
(1) by striking ``Secretary of the Interior may issue'' and
inserting the following: ``Secretary of the Interior--
``(1) may issue'';
(2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``;
and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) shall issue the right-of-way generally depicted as
`Proposed Egress' on the map entitled `Blue Ridge Parkway,
Proposed Wintergreen Emergency Egress Near Milepost 9.6',
numbered 601/194,694, and dated September 2024, if the
Secretary reports to the Committee on Natural Resources of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate that--
``(A) an evaluation has been completed of alternatives to
the right-of-way for egress that do not cross Federal land
that includes evaluating whether existing trails can be
converted to roads;
``(B) an analysis of expected fire ecology behavior in the
event of a fire emergency has been completed with respect to
the right-of-way; and
``(C) any required reviews with respect to the right-of-way
have been completed in accordance with--
``(i) the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and
``(ii) division A of subtitle III of title 54, United
States Code.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 6365, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6365, the Wintergreen
Emergency Egress Act, introduced by Representative John McGuire of
Virginia.
This bill accomplishes something very simple and very important. It
directs the Department of the Interior to issue a narrow right-of-way
so the Wintergreen community in Virginia can complete an emergency-only
evacuation route.
Wintergreen is a mountain community located near the Blue Ridge
Parkway, with one road in and one road out. That single access point
serves year-round residents, seasonal visitors, and first responders.
Over the past decade, the community has grown from 150 to 500
residents, not including seasonal visitors, and the risk tied to having
only one exit has grown along with it.
In recent years, we have seen what happens when communities lack
sufficient options to escape during emergencies. Fires in places like
Paradise, California, and Lahaina, Hawaii, demonstrate how quickly
evacuation routes can become overwhelmed and congested, endangering
residents and first responders alike.
For Wintergreen, this is not about building a new public road. The
community is proposing a second, emergency-only route that follows an
existing dirt path on National Park Service land. It would only require
a short 30 feet of gravel to make the road useable for emergency
vehicles.
The community has already built the road on non-Federal land and has
spent years working through the Federal process. The only remaining
piece is a small segment on Federal land that cannot move forward under
current National Park Service regulations.
H.R. 6365 offers a straightforward solution by directing the
Secretary of the Interior to issue this vital right-of-way after
required reviews are completed and reported to Congress. This is a
targeted fix to a real safety problem. Representative McGuire's
legislation improves evacuation planning, helps first responders, and
does so with very minimal impact to Federal land.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative McGuire for his leadership on
this issue and advocacy on behalf of his constituents. I urge my
colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the community of Wintergreen, Virginia, is located in
the Blue Ridge Mountains, next to the popular Wintergreen Resort. It
has a year-round population of 500 and a seasonal peak of almost
10,000. However, Wintergreen has only one road that leads in and out of
the community and in an emergency situation, this is a major safety
risk that could be catastrophic for Wintergreen's residents and
visitors.
H.R. 6365 addresses this problem by allowing a 400-foot-long single-
lane gravel road connecting Wintergreen to the Blue Ridge Parkway,
providing a secondary exit route in the case of an emergency.
After completing the relevant environmental reviews, the National
Park Service will be authorized to issue a right-of-way for the road.
This is a commonsense bill that will improve public safety and make
minimal changes to the surrounding and natural area. I extend my
gratitude to Representative McGuire and the Senators from Virginia for
introducing this legislation to help Wintergreen's residents and
visitors.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 6365,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. McGuire), the lead sponsor of the bill.
{time} 1510
Mr. McGUIRE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R.
6365, the Wintergreen Emergency Egress Act.
Wintergreen, Virginia, is a popular tourist destination located in my
district. Wintergreen is one of the largest planned communities in
Virginia, with over 3,000 properties situated on 11,000 acres. The risk
of wildfires was not top of mind when this mountaintop community was
designed in the 1970s.
The original developers did not reserve an emergency egress corridor
before conveying a few thousand acres of unneeded land to the
Appalachian Trail commission. Because of this, Wintergreen only has one
entrance and one exit route.
As awareness of wildfire risk grew, the community of Wintergreen was
placed on the Virginia Department of Forestry's radar as a wildland-
urban interface community with a high risk of a devastating fire. Since
becoming aware of the increased risk of wildfire, the community has
worked steadily to mitigate that risk. However, an emergency egress is
still needed.
[[Page H2348]]
For over 25 years, and working with five other Members of Congress,
the Wintergreen community has fought to complete an emergency
evacuation route. The town of Wintergreen has already constructed all
portions of the road that are not on Federal land. Unfortunately, the
only thing that has stood in their way all these years is a small
section of land controlled by the National Park Service, approximately
400 feet, that separates the unfinished road from being connected to
the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The recent wildfires in California and Maui highlight the danger
posed by limited evacuation routes. People lost their lives in those
fires because they were trapped in their vehicles with no way to
escape.
My bill is a proactive response to the very real threat to public
safety that the town of Wintergreen currently faces if it needed to
evacuate due to a natural disaster. We cannot wait until a tragedy
occurs to make a change. Public safety and lives are at risk.
The Wintergreen community, including Chief Curtis Sheets of
Wintergreen Fire and Rescue, has spent over 25 years fighting for the
completion of this emergency evacuation route. I am proud to assist the
entire Wintergreen community in continuing and finishing this fight.
I am proud to have bipartisan support of seven of my colleagues in
the Virginia delegation. This bill is not political. It is a
commonsense solution that is vital to preventing a tragedy in my
district.
I thank Chairman Westerman for his friendship and leadership in
helping me address this important issue for my district, and I urge all
of my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 6365.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank Representative McGuire for his
leadership on the Wintergreen Emergency Egress Act. Again, the bill
addresses a clear safety risk with a narrow 30-foot-wide easement and a
practical solution.
It allows a small emergency-only connection to move forward, while
keeping environmental reviews and oversight in place. This will help
keep every resident and tourist who appreciates the beauty of
Wintergreen, Virginia, safe in the event of a natural disaster.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6365, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6365, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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