The bill aims to amend the right-of-way for emergency exits on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It proposes that the Secretary of the Interior may issue emergency egress rights and specifies the conditions under which this may occur. This bill is likely to impact emergency response and egress procedures along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Wintergreen Emergency Egress Act
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to issue a right-of-way through the Blue Ridge Parkway for an additional emergency exit from Wintergreen in Nelson County, Virginia, once certain requirements have been met. Specifically, Interior must grant the right-of-way if it reports to specified congressional committees that the following have been completed: (1) an evaluation of alternatives to the right-of-way for exiting Wintergreen that do not cross federal land, including an evaluation of whether existing trails can be converted to roads; (2) an analysis of expected fire ecology behavior in the event of a fire emergency with respect to the right-of-way; and (3) any required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the National Historic Preservation Act.