Sponsors (2)
Official title: 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.
Introduced December 2, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress December 2, 2025
The bill creates a clear, expedited path to build an emergency egress that improves safety for nearby residents and clarifies permitting, but it risks local environmental harm, can limit practical local control, and may impose additional costs on taxpayers and local governments.
Residents near Wintergreen will have a guaranteed emergency egress route if the Secretary certifies the required safety and environmental reviews, improving evacuation options and public safety for nearby rural communities.
Local and state governments will face a clearer permitting path because the bill specifies required studies (alternatives, fire-ecology, NEPA), which can reduce uncertainty and speed final approval once those analyses are completed.
The Secretary retains discretion to issue other rights-of-way while creating a specific path for this project, preserving broader federal land-management flexibility for state and federal agencies.
Residents and local ecosystems near Wintergreen could experience increased environmental disturbance and habitat fragmentation if Federal land is crossed to build the egress.
Local communities and governments may have reduced practical influence over the project because mandating issuance after specified certifications can allow the project to proceed despite local opposition once technical reviews are complete.
Taxpayers and local governments could incur additional costs for construction, mitigation, or ongoing maintenance and enforcement if requirements exceed what the certified analyses anticipate.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Interior Secretary to issue a specific right-of-way for a Wintergreen emergency egress once alternative-route, fire-ecology, and NEPA/related reviews are completed and certified.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to issue a specific right-of-way for a proposed Wintergreen emergency egress near milepost 9.6 (as shown on a specified map) once three required certifications are made. It keeps the Secretary's general authority to issue rights-of-way but narrows it by making issuance mandatory for this particular route only after completion of specified evaluations and environmental reviews. The bill directs three specific preconditions before mandatory issuance: (1) an evaluation of non-Federal-land egress alternatives (including whether existing trails can be converted to roads), (2) an analysis of expected fire-ecology behavior for the right-of-way, and (3) completion of required NEPA and related reviews. No new funding or duties for other entities are created in the text provided.