H.R. 10306House118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

Blue Ridge Fire Safety Act of 2024

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 8:13 PM UTC

The Blue Ridge Fire Safety Act of 2024 directs the Secretary of the Interior to grant a right‑of‑way for an emergency exit on National Park Service land along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, aiming to improve fire‑related evacuation. The exit, shown as “Proposed Egress” near milepost 9.6, can be issued only after specific studies and environmental reviews are completed. This affects federal land management and local emergency response in the designated area.

Key Provisions

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to issue a right‑of‑way for the emergency exit depicted as “Proposed Egress” near milepost 9.6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway map.
Mandates that the Secretary certify an evaluation of alternative routes that avoid federal land, including whether existing trails could be converted to roads.
Requires an analysis of expected fire ecology behavior for the proposed right‑of‑way.
Requires completion of required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act and relevant provisions of Title 54 of the U.S. Code before the right‑of‑way can be issued.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

December 5, 2024

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

December 5, 2024

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

December 5, 2024

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in HouseIssued December 5, 2024

118th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10306

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 5, 2024

Mr. Good of Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

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.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Blue Ridge Fire Safety Act of 2024.

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 certifies 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.