Legislative hearing on six bills: • H.R. 3286 (Rep. Guthrie), “Mammoth Cave National Boundary Adjustment Act of 2025” • H.R. 4290 (Rep. Vasquez), “Downwinder Commemoration Act of 2025” • H.R. 4716 (Rep. Owens), To transfer administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal land in Saratoga Springs, Utah, from the Secretary of the Interior to the United States Postal Service for construction of a post office, and for other purposes. • H.R. 5555 (Rep. Panetta), “Monterey Bay National Heritage Area Study Act” • H.R. 6062 (Rep. Moore of WV), To transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain parcels of federal land in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and for other purposes. • H.R. 7031 (Rep. Fulcher), “Making National Parks Safer Act”
No chapters available yet
Legend
Transcript markers
- text Sentence being played
- text Search result
- text Intervention cited by the link you opened
Click a sentence to play the video from that moment. Select text to quote it with the speaker, timestamp and link.
More options
House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands U.S. House of Representatives
Follow its sittingsSpeaker 2
Our annual growth is around between 1%, 1.3% above, well above the national average of 0.5%. Of that, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, and Lehigh represent about 237,000 people. For the next five years, this corridor will surge to 900, 90,000 from Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain, and Lehigh pushes will push past 1,000 I mean, 100,000. That's gonna be between 280,000 to 300,000, the fastest growing micro region in the country. The kicker is with this quarter million people over the last five years with calls, letters, promises, we've been asked for one simple thing, that's an extra post office, which has been pretty much ignored.
These three cities have a combined population, as I mentioned, 230,000 people, and upward to it takes up to an hour to get from Lehigh to either of the other communities. Despite the best efforts of postal workers in Lehigh, our facilities are too small for the workload and the service area. One post office has often been has offered, how often has delays and sometimes mail lost. The wear and tear on employees and vehicles as postal offers drive long distances before just getting started to where they are mail delivery routes. That's a quarter million people, three growing cities, and one small post office.
Unfortunately, our efforts to encourage USPS to construct a post office in Saratoga Springs has led to nothing, not has not led to any meaningful results. It's been one of the most frustrating efforts of my time here in Congress. In February 2023, I signed a letter directed to then postmaster general DeJoy along with other members of our Utah congressional delegation and local Utah officials, highlighting the rapid growth of the area in need of a new post office. Personal calls to leadership was very nice, but this led to a USPS internal space constraint study, which validated our concerns and initiated an alternative quarters project. From that point, we've had zero progress.
Updates from USPS have been inconsistent and unreliable regarding another post office scenario. So I'll ask is simple. Our constituents living in these cities deserve better access to mail and mail services. That's why I've introduced the Saratoga Springs Post Office Act. The bill is simple.
It transfers 20 acres of unused orphan land under the jurisdiction of BLM to USPS and requires a construction and operation of a post office on that land within two years. There's no federal cost for this bill, and it was a much-needed post office for my constituents. Thank you, mister chairman, for the opportunity to speak on this legislation today. Look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses.
Speaker 1
Yeah. Thank you, Representative Owens. I now recognize Representative Vasquez for five minutes on H.R. 4290.
Speaker 3
Thank you so much, Chairman Tiffany, and to rank member Nagus for considering HR 4290, the Downwinder Commemoration Act. During today's hearing, I'd also like to extend my deep gratitude to Tina Cordova and the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium for their unwavering dedication to pursuing justice for the victims of the Trinity test. Tina has been coming here to Washington, DC, our nation's capital, from New Mexico for nearly a decade, testifying before Congress to bring justice, acknowledgement, and compensation to the families who were unknowing and unwilling victims of the fallout from our nation's first nuclear test. In the early hours of 07/16/1945, nearly half a million New Mexicans were awakened by a blinding explosion in the middle of the night. Without warning, people in communities throughout Southern New Mexico were unknowingly exposed to deadly radiation as a result of the first nuclear test, now known as the Trinity site.
The fallout from the test rained radioactive ash throughout New Mexico, poisoning crops, livestock, and our people. These communities became known as downwinders and continued to be affected decades later by debilitating health effects, including rare cancers, infertility, and death. For eighty years, these communities were denied recognition for their suffering until last year, in July, when the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was expanded to include New Mexico downwinders. And I will add that it was a bipartisan effort in both the House and the Senate. My bill, the Downwinder Commemoration Act, would permanently acknowledge the harm endured by New Mexico's downwinders following the 1945 Trinity test by placing commemorative monuments in publicly accessible areas at White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands National Park.
If we fail to remember our history, we're doomed to repeat it. This legislation ensures that we learn from the past and delivers long overdue recognition to the Downwinter community and their descendants, and promises to preserve their legacy for generations to come. I was proud to work with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to successfully pass an amendment to place plaques at our military installations through the FY '26 National Defense Authorization Act. But there's still work that needs to be done and that this committee should undertake, and that is to secure the placement of a plaque at White Sands National Park. The park is visited by over 700,000 visitors per year, and it sits less than 100 miles from the site of the Trinity test embedded in the White Sands Missile Range defense area.
This is more than a plaque. This is an acknowledgement of our past, and a reminder that we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. Thank you for considering this important legislation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you, representative Vasquez. I now recognize Representative Moore for five minutes on H.R. 7031. The floor is yours, sir.
Speaker 4
Thank you very much. Thank you very much, mister chairman, and thank you to the members of the committee and the members of this subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to testify on my bill, HR 6062. This will swap a total of 97 acres of federal land in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. My bill would exchange 25 acres of National Park Service land for 72 acres of Customs and Border Protection land within and around the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
This is a net increase of 47 acres for the National Park Service. The 72 acres of CBP land contain historically significant battlefield landscape that should be preserved. In return, CBP will receive 25 acres of National Park Service land that is necessary for the expansion of the CBP Advanced Training Center. This facility is where supervisory level officers and other elite board patrol agents receive specialized training. I've been there, and I can attest that this facility is extraordinary.
The bill has the support of both the National Park Service and the US Customs and Border Protection. Congress has a long record of expanding the boundaries of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. In 1944, Congress established Harpers Ferry National Monument as a public national memorial. In 1963, Congress officially changed the name to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. In 1974, 1980, 1989, and most recently in 2004, Congress passed laws to expand the park's territory and better preserve the history of Harpers Ferry.
That history includes the abolitionist John Brown's 1859 raid on the federal armory. It also includes a decisive battle in Robert E. Lee's 1862 Maryland campaign. Transferring this land to the National Park Service will preserve and expand access to these historical sites, including positions where Confederate forces under General Thomas Stonewall Jackson besieged the Union garrison, resulting in the surrender of roughly 12,500 Union soldiers. At the same time, the exchange will enable CBP to expand the advanced training center with the anticipated hiring of 10,000 new Border Patrol agents.
This expansion will help meet further training demands. In short, this agreement preserves a historic battlefield to help honor America's heritage while simultaneously strengthening federal law enforcement's ability to defend our borders and protect the American people. This proposal will also support the local economy in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. In 2024, Harper's Ferry National Historical Park received approximately 488,000 visitors. This tourism generates roughly $29,200,000 in local economic activity and supports nearly 300 local jobs.
As our nation prepares for our 250th anniversary, protecting Harpers Ferry National Historical Park ensures that future generations will experience the landscapes where American story unfolded. This bill represents a balanced approach to historic preservation, bolsters our law enforcement capabilities, and supports the people of West Virginia. I urge the subcommittee to support HR 62 in advance this bill so that we can preserve our national heritage for decades to come. And just real quick, I don't know if the members of the committee can see it, but let me point it out to you.
Speaker 4
Unfortunately, there is a giant donut in the middle of a civil war battlefield. That's generally the problem. And so the idea would be to give that back to the National Park Service because they cannot maintain it and they're not able to even mow the grass in here. CBP has to get an easement to come over here just to even mow the grass on the Civil War battlefield, and then you'd get the 25 acres in exchange for it. So, how it ended up like that, I have no idea.
I'd have to ask Robert Bird, but he's no longer with us. That's when that facility got put there. But it is this massive donut in a historic civil war battlefield. And so we're not able to put walking trails through there, which we have, and there's some, there's no continuity in it. And both departments are supportive of this.
And I've spoken to Secretary Bergham about it, and also Homeland Security, and they are supportive of the swap. So it's not a lot of land, but it helps preserve our history here in America. And I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Representative Moore. I now recognize Representative Panetta for five minutes on HR 5555.
Speaker 6
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it. It's nice to be here in the subcommittee. Thank you very much, and, obviously, appreciate chairman Westerman, as well as ranking member Huffman and, obviously, members of the subcommittee. I wanna speak today about support for my legislation, as you mentioned, mister chairman, H.R. 555, the Monterey Bay National Heritage Area Study Act.
This bill is about recognizing the history, culture, and the natural beauty of the Monterey Bay in California, the Central Coast of California. It's qualities that are not only central to the identity of my congressional district, but really deeply woven into our nation's history. That's why I believe that this Monterey Bay National Heritage Area Study Act would mandate the federal recognition of that this area deserves. HR 5555 does not create a National Heritage Area, but it just simply directs the Department of the Interior to study whether the Monterey Bay region meets the criteria for that designation, and then we'll have more work to do down the line. It's a careful, deliberative step that ensures local communities, tribal partners, and stakeholders like our on-the-ground partner, the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, MBEP as it's known, all have a voice in the process.
Now I'd like to share a little bit about what makes the Monterey Bay Area a place that's so special and so deserving of a National Heritage Area designation. Before Commodore John Sloat of the United States Navy declared California for The United States in 1846, there were indigenous communities that created a legacy of stewardship that is still visible in how we care for our environment in that area and honor our heritage. Centuries later, Monterey played a defining role in California's path to statehood. It was once the capital of California, and later the site where California's first constitution was drafted. But what makes this region truly special, above all else, is how the history continues to evolve.
Over generations, Monterey Bay and the Central Coast became a hub for trade, immigration, and industry. It was and continues to be a hub for military training, with the former Fort Ord being the foundation upon which many men and women in uniform went on to serve in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam Conflicts. Families from around the world then came there and helped build the fishing industry, the sardines industry, which many of you have heard about, that defined the region for decades. Communities formed cultures. Communities formed, cultures came together, and a distinctly American story took place along the coastline.
Now, when that industry declined, the region adapted. Today, Monterey Bay is a global leader in marine science, conservation, and tourism. It is home to one of the most productive agriculture regions as well, in the world, the Salinas Valley, or otherwise known as the salad bowl of the world, which feeds millions of Americans and plays a critical role in our national food system. These moments in history and contributions are chronicled in John Steinbeck's beloved novels, including Cannery Row, East Of Eden, and The Grapes Of Wrath. Now, despite lacking an overarching regional level definition, this would not be the first instance of a federal recognition in this area.
The Central Coast and the Salinas Valley are home to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Ketone Coast Dairies National Monument, the Pinnacles National Park, and so much more. These types of things bring together local governments, nonprofits, profits, businesses, and community leaders to preserve what makes a place special while supporting economic opportunity, which is exactly what this National Heritage Area Study process will do, as well as the future potential for the future designation. This study would simply help determine how a National Heritage Area framework could strengthen those efforts. It would also help us better connect the stories that define the area, from indigenous heritage to the military and maritime history, to agriculture, to innovation, and share them in a way that reflects their national significance. Ultimately, I believe this is about stewardship.
It's about making sure that the landscapes, communities, and history of Monterey Bay are preserved, understood, and appreciated for generations to come. It's about doing this the right way with local input, thoughtful analysis, and a commitment to collaboration. I believe this is a responsible and forward-looking step, and I urge my colleagues to support HR 5555. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
And, well, prior to doing that, sorry, mister chairman, we have a partner in this process, the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, MBEP. As I mentioned, they're unable to attend in person and provide witness testimony. Mare Guildia from MBEP, emailed a statement to committee staff on HR 5555, and I would like to ask for unanimous consent for their statement to be entered into the record.
Speaker 1
So ordered. Thank you, sir. I yield back. Gentlemen, yields. And now we're going to move on to our second panel.
Let me remind our witnesses that under committee rules, you must limit your oral statements to five minutes, but your entire statement will appear in the hearing record. To begin your testimony, please press the on button of the microphone. We use timing lights. When you begin, the light will turn green. At the end of five minutes, the light will turn red, and I'll ask you to please complete your statement.
First, I would like to introduce the honorable Chris Kearns, mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah. Mayor Kearn, you are recognized for five minutes.
Speaker 7
Thank you, Chairman Westerman, Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Ngoose, and members of the committee. I am Mayor Chris Carn of Saratoga Springs. On behalf of the residents of Saratoga Springs and with the support of mayor Paul Bens of Lehi and mayor Jared Gray of Eagle Mountain, as well as many members of all three city councils who are sitting behind me today, I thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of H.R. 4716, the Saratoga Springs Post Office Act. Saratoga Springs is one of the fastest-growing cities in Utah and in the nation. When I moved to Saratoga Springs in 2005, our population was 8,000 people.
Today, it exceeds 70,000. When I moved there, we had a gas station, a grocery store, and a Hollywood Video. Today, we have more than 1000 businesses. Over the past decade, with growth accelerating sharply in 2020, we have more than doubled in size in 6 years. Today, thousands of new families continue to move into Northwest Utah County each year.
In 2005, Saratoga Springs was a small lakeside community. In 02/2026, it is a major residential area with a growing economic hub. In 2005, we did not have a post office. In 2026, we still do not. Families and small businesses must travel outside the city boundaries for routine postal services, creating a significant burden.
The combined population of Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, and Lehigh now exceeds 227,000 residents, yet the closest post office serving most of Northwest Utah County remains in Lehi, Utah. Residents of our three cities visit the Lehigh post office on average 6.6 times per year with 1.8 members of each household making the trip. Each visit lasts on average 70 minutes. Those numbers reflect not convenience, but strain on working families, seniors, and small businesses alike. The Lehigh post office serves more than 100 square miles and operates with only four retail windows, one of which is permanently dedicated to passport services.
It processes more than 1,700,000 parcels annually with a single dock door. The growth of our region has expanded dramatically. The postal service infrastructure serving it has not. HR 47 16 offers practical and forward-looking solutions. By transferring 20 acres of unused Bureau of Land Management land near Mountain View Corridor, State Road 73, and the 2100 North connection, transfers it to the United States Postal Service and directs the US Postal Service to begin operation within two years.
This legislation addresses a clear and growing service gap. It will benefit not only Saratoga Springs, but also Eagle Mountain, Lehi, and the broader Northwest Utah County region. Reliable, accessible postal service is not a luxury. They are essential infrastructure for families, businesses, and the continued economic vitality of our rapidly growing communities. I respectively urge the committee to advance HR 4716 so that residences, residents, and businesses of Saratoga Springs and Northwest Utah County can finally receive the level of postal service that our growth demands.
Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Mayor Karn. Next, I'd like to introduce the honorable Ronald Scott Lindsay, judge executive of Edmonson County, Kentucky. Judge Executive Lindsay, you are recognized for five minutes.
Speaker 8
Chairman Tiffany, ranking member Naguse, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for allowing me to testify on behalf of Congressman Brett Guthrie in his bill, H.R. 3286, the Mammoth Cave National Park Boundary Adjustment Act of 2025. I appreciate the opportunity to speak about the importance of Mammoth Cave National Park, not only to my county, Edmonton County, but to surrounding counties in the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky. Officially established as a national park in 1941, Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the world's longest known cave system, with more than 400 miles of surveyed underground passageways and miles still unexplored. The parks are roughly 52,000 acres, extend across Edmonton, Barron, and Art counties, and provide a wide range of recreational opportunities, including cave tours, hiking, camping, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. What makes Mammoth Cave truly unique is that it operates on two levels.
A rich forested landscape and a river system above ground, and an extraordinary cave system network below. Together, these features create one of the most remarkable natural environments in the United States. For generations, Mammoth Cave has served as a place of discovery for visitors, scientists, and students. The cave system preserves an incredible record of geological history, while protecting important cultural resources. Evidence of early exploration, prehistoric activity, and historic mining remains throughout the cave system.
These resources make Mammoth Cave not only a natural wonder, but also a valuable site for scientific research, education, and historical preservation. The park is also a major economic engine for the region. Visitors from across the country and around the world travel to Kentucky not only for horse racing, bourbon, and Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, but also to explore Mammoth Cave National Park. In 2024 alone, approximately 747,000 visitors. I'm sorry. 747,000 visitors came to the park and spent an estimated $73,200,000 in nearby communities.
These expenditures supported more than 880 jobs and nearly 100,000,000 in economic output for the local economy. For rural communities like mine, those numbers matter. Tourism connected to Mammoth Cave supports local restaurants, hotels, outfitters, and small businesses throughout the region. The legislation before you today would help strengthen the impact, while also protecting critical natural resources. HR 3286 would authorize the secretary of the interior to acquire approximately 551 acres of land currently owned by the Nature Conservancy and incorporated into Mammoth Cave National Park.
This property lies within the Green River Watershed, one of the most biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems in the United States. The area contains numerous cave passages, including Coach Cave and James Cave, which provide an important habitat for endangered bat species. Protecting these habitats is essential for the recovery of the species and the long-term ecological health of the region. Equally important, these caves contain significant cultural and archaeological resources. Evidence suggests that these caves also played a role in early American history through saltpeter mining during the War of 1812 and contained signatures left by Civil War soldiers who also explored the cave in 1862.
No organization is better equipped to protect these natural and cultural resources than the National Park Service and the experts at Mammoth Cave National Park. I also want to emphasize an important point. This acquisition involves land already owned by the Nature Conservancy. No additional private property is involved. The property is already under a conservation easement and restricts the development.
And because of its nonprofit ownership status, the county is not currently collecting property taxes on it. Therefore, the transfer of this land into the park will not reduce our local tax base. The purchase price for the property is just under $1,000,000 and will be funded through the land and water conservation fund along with national park service allocations. Importantly, the funds received by the Nature Conservancy will be returned to the imperiled bat conservation fund to support future conservation efforts. As county judge executive, one of my priorities is supporting local businesses, encouraging economic growth in our rural communities.
Expanding and protecting Mammoth Cave National Park helps accomplish both goals. This investment will safeguard critical habitat, preserve irreplaceable historical resources, and expand recreational opportunities for future generations. More importantly, it'll continue to drive tourism and economic development for communities across South Central Kentucky. Thank you again, Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member DeGUS, and members of the subcommittee for holding this hearing and for the opportunity to testify today. I appreciate your consideration of HR 3286 and look forward to answering any questions you may have.
Thank.
Speaker 1
you. Thank you, Mr. Lindsey. I'll now recognize Ms. Tina Cordova, cofounder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. Miss Cordova, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Speaker 9
Good morning, chairman Tiffany, ranking member Ngoose, and members of the subcommittee. It's an honor and a privilege to provide this testimony on behalf of the downwinders of New Mexico. Thank you for inviting me to participate. I want to begin by acknowledging and thanking Representative Vasquez who introduced this resolution. He's been an ally of ours throughout his time in Congress, and we greatly appreciate his support.
I also wanna acknowledge that there are two women serving on this subcommittee from New Mexico, Representative Ledger Fernandez in Stansbury, who both support our efforts. My name is Tina Cordova. I'm a native New Mexican, a downwinder, and a cancer survivor. I'm also a community organizer and the co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, or TBDC for short. We've been working for 21 years to bring attention to the negative health effects suffered by the people of New Mexico as a result of their overexposure to radiation from the first atomic bomb that was detonated at the Trinity site on 07/16/1945.
Most people know the history of the Manhattan Project and the bomb, but few people know anything of the ensuing destruction of human health that took place after the test. It is my hope that through this testimony each of you will become more informed of the toll the bomb took on the American citizens who lived in close proximity to the test site. Furthermore, I hope that you will support HR 4290, acknowledging the sacrifice and suffering of your fellow American citizens by the installation of a plaque at White Sands National Monument dedicated to the downwinders of New Mexico. The government always characterized the Trinity Site as remote and uninhabited, but we know from the US census data that there were an estimated 14,000 people, children, women, and men living in a 50-mile radius to the test site. We've identified ranching families that lived as close as 12 miles.
A few of those people are alive today to tell the stories of how, one by one, their loved ones lost their lives to cancer and other diseases. Some of these families, like the Guilalens, the Gallegos, the Walkers, the Tuckers, the Hinkles, and the Peraltas, have all been wiped out by cancer. The bomb was detonated on a platform 100 feet off the ground, which produced massive fallout but very little destruction. A full 10 pounds of plutonium with a half-life of twenty-four thousand years went up in the fireball that ascended past the atmosphere, penetrating the stratosphere. For days, a radioactive ash fell from the sky and settled on everything: the soil, in the water, in the air, on the plants, and on the skin of every living thing.
It was a public and environmental disaster of grand proportions. People lived off the land in 1945 without running water and used cisterns to collect water for drinking, cooking, etc. They depended on the earth, the soil, and the water to produce all the food they ate. They had gardens and orchards and raised animals for food. No one was warned before or after the test about the dangers of the bomb or of their lifestyles.
Maybe the most difficult truth is the fact that we had casualties from the Trinity test, and they were our babies. When we were losing our babies, and it was reported to the government, we remained unassisted and unacknowledged. The test was the beginning of the end for so many people, like my own father who was simply a four-year-old child living in Tularosa, a village 45 miles south of the Trinity site. He paid the ultimate price for simply being a child raised in a downwind community, eating fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the garden, eating game meat, drinking gallons of fresh cow's milk, and dipping water from the cistern. My father, Anastasio Kordova, died after suffering for more than 8 years with three different cancers he didn't have risk factors for.
He didn't smoke, didn't drink much, he never used chewing tobacco, or had viruses, yet he developed two distinctly different oral cancers, along with prostate cancer. My father had to have part of his tongue removed at the base of his throat and relied on a feeding tube for over 18 months because he couldn't swallow. He had the most amazing voice but couldn't sing anymore or whistle, which is what he did as he went about his days. He fought the good fight, but he lost his battle. I was with my dad that March evening 13 years ago when he took his last breath.
It forever changed me. No other state in the US sacrificed more than New Mexico for our national security during World War Two. As a matter of fact, per capita, New Mexico had more people enlist in military service and die in military service. And yet the downwinders of New Mexico continue to fight to be acknowledged for their sacrifice, even as people today continue to suffer and die. We are patriots.
We bury our loved ones on a regular basis to have somebody else diagnosed. We have nothing left to give. After doing this work for 21 years, I know there's a path to healing for the downwithenders of New Mexico whose lives and lands were forever changed by the detonation of the bomb at Trinity. The healing begins with the placement of a permanent plaque at White Sands National Monument that will stand forever in recognition of our service and our sacrifice to our great nation. Thank you, sir.
Speaker 1
Thank you, miss. Finally, I'd like to recognize miss Leanne Mogoski, E and P president of NENA, the nine eleven nine one one association. Miss Mogoski, you are recognized for five minutes.
Speaker 10
Thank you, Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Nagus, and members of the subcommittee. I am honored to be here to testify. As president of the National Emergency Number Association, Nina, I speak on behalf of the organization's more than 25,000 members, and I come before you today to urge the swift passage of the Making Public Lands Safer Act H.R. 7031. If enacted, this bill would instruct the Department of the Interior to study the costs of deploying and implementing next-generation nine one one infrastructure at the National Park Service Public Safety Answering Points, or PSAPs. As both the president of NENA and a 911 professional with over 30 years of experience, I can attest to the lifesaving benefits of next generation 911.
Next generation nine one one is not a single product, vendor, or network, but rather a system of interoperable systems built through cooperation and open standards. These include enhanced cybersecurity protections, redundancy, and increased resiliency during emergencies. Our nation's 911 systems, the critical link in any emergency, largely run on 1960s copper wire technology that lacks interoperability and coordination and was built to handle calls from landlines. Nina estimates that nearly 90% of all 911 calls now come from wireless devices. These devices can send lifesaving information to PSAPs such as precise location data, context-providing videos and text messages, and more.
Like most Americans, I use my phone not only for communication, but as my camera, especially when I'm on vacation. Our nation's parks are world famous for their beauty, vistas, and many visitors carry their phones to capture these moments with friends and family. As you know, many tourists are unfamiliar with the train or with their exact location when visiting parks. That is why precise device location is critical to finding those in need when they cannot describe where they are. But in an emergency, a local PSAP would likely be the nearest point of contact for a nine one one call within a national park because of the way legacy systems are routed.
Until next generation 911 is fully deployed, the telecommunicator may have to dial a separate 10 digit number and verbally relay information to park PSAPs, causing delays in emergency response. In my own PSAP in Monterey County, California, we received a call from a lost hiker at Point Lobos State Park. Our dispatcher, Donald Clark, who's here with me today using technologies incorporated in next generation 911 elements, was able to pinpoint the caller's location and stayed on the line with her for 24 minutes, providing turn-by-turn directions until the caller reached her parked vehicle. That wouldn't be possible without NextGeneration 911. Mister chairman, that is why we must deploy NextGen 911 in our national parks and communities by enacting HR 7031, Making Public Lands Safer Act, sponsored by Representative Fulcher.
However, we must ensure that the process doesn't start or end with the park service. Nina has long advocated for nationwide development of next generation nine one one, and this will only work when all nine one one centers across the country can acquire the necessary technology. We need Congress to act now to ensure that every American, no matter where they are, has access to lifesaving emergency response during their time of need. Finally, mister chairman, there's another issue that is related to making public lands safer. Our 911 professionals are currently misclassified as administrative or clerical staff rather than public safety personnel like our field responder colleagues.
This misclassification is a clear relic of legacy 911 systems. When the public called, someone answered, and help was just sent. Today, 911 public safety telecommunicators perform many functions such as medical triage, including CPR, and vital situational awareness to field responders. We also undergo rigorous training. These public safety telecommunicators support us during our most harrowing moments.
As such, we should be recognized along with our colleagues in field response as public safety personnel, and we are almost there. On 09/10/2025, the Senate, by unanimous consent, passed the Enhancing First Responder Act Senate 725. On behalf of the tens of thousands nine one one professionals, I urge you to pass Senate seven twenty five under the suspension of the rules. This reclassification is not separate from next generation 911. The pending legislation emphasizes that 911 professionals are a part of our emergency response network and are truly the nation's first responders.
Thank you for your attention to the importance of Next Generation 911 in our nation's park, and I look forward to answering any questions.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Miss Mogoski. I now recognize members for 5 minutes for questioning. First, we'll recognize the gentle lady from New Mexico, Miss Ledger Fernandez, for five minutes.
Speaker 5
Thank you, chair. And I would only wanna thank you, Miss Cordova, for your testimony that was incredibly moving and painted the picture of the sacrifice that New Mexicans have made. And I think that it is so very important that the public understand what happened at that site. Right? Oppenheimer was a hit, but Oppenheimer, the movie, failed to tell the story of the sacrifice that New Mexicans made.
It failed to tell the story of what it does mean to have a bomb exploded in your state. And the consequences of that explosion hit. They intentionally failed, intentionally failed to tell us about the harm that they knew could come from that explosion. The stories of the fact that they were prepared to evacuate some of the small village towns and villages and didn't. Even as the Geiger counters ticked up, they drove away but did not tell our community members.
I remember when I first got to Congress. When I first got to Congress, one of the very first things I did was meet with Tina Cordova and the Tuliposa downwinders. And the way you began that meeting was going around the table and telling me the stories of each of your families, and asking me about my own family who have also suffered. And you asked me to introduce the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, and I did. And since I've been in Congress, I have followed your lead, and I wanna acknowledge the Navajo uranium miners as well and the coalition you built to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
Can you share with us the fact, what it means? And so for those of you who don't know, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act makes sure that those who have been exposed to radiation and suffered the illnesses that, Miss Cordova set out so graphically in terms of her own family's impact, that they're now entitled to a $100,000 compensation. If you lived in New Mexico, weren't exposed to that radiation, and developed the cancers, the thyroid cancers, the lung cancers, the blood cancers, that you are now entitled to $100,000 compensation. What does it mean for the survivors to be able to now apply for that compensation when they were denied it for so long?
Speaker 9
Thank you, representative Ledger Fernandez. And, of course, thank you for all the support you've offered us since the very beginning. Well, I receive phone calls on a regular basis now from people that have applied for the compensation and have been, and have received the compensation. And it's life-changing. What we have found in New Mexico is that people spend everything that they have to treat themselves, to literally most often die.
We live in rural areas. We don't have access to healthcare. And treatment is difficult to come by. So, people have to travel. And many times, because we have very rare and unusual cancers, we have to travel from New Mexico to places like Houston, Phoenix, and Denver.
And, of course, that takes money. And if you can't work, you lose your health care. And so, New Mexico has become very dependent on the Medicaid system, number one, because of that. But number two, we also carry an enormous amount of medical debt. I think the number is something like $841,000,000 in medical debt spread across about 2,000,000 people.
So now that people have access for the first time ever to resources, it's life-changing. They're able to, for the first time ever, address issues they've never been able to address. They may put that money towards helping a child go to college. They may put that money towards, you know, remodels to their home to accommodate their illness. I mean, there are just so many things.
So it's life-changing. It took 80 years for the first people ever exposed in the world to radiation as a result of an atomic bomb to be acknowledged and compensated. Eighty years. And so many people have died waiting. Many people have died waiting.
Speaker 5
I want to make sure that all New Mexicans who are entitled to this compensation know about it. Because that cloud, that radioactive cloud impacted our entire state and other states as well from above-ground testing. So thank you for letting us know about the importance of having the greater public know about what happened, but also for the work that you and my office and our entire delegation are doing to make sure that everybody knows about the importance that you can get a $100,000 compensation if you suffered from one of these cancers, because that is really, really important and is life changing. And thank you for that work. And with that, Mister Chair, I yield back.
Speaker 1
Representative, time has expired, and I'll recognize the gentleman from Utah for five minutes of questions.
Speaker 2
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Before I start my question, I want to recognize three of the major communities in my district that are here today that will benefit from the passage of HR 4716. Please raise your hand if you're from Saratoga Springs, from Eagle Mountain, and from Lehigh. Okay. I'll call this the Utah Way, by the way.
This is an example of how Utah leaders really work hard to represent their constituents. I wanna thank you guys for being here and for making this a very important plea. Mayor Karn, can you tell us more about the current mail situation in Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area?
Speaker 7
Yes. Thank you, Congressman Owens. And, let me start by recognizing you as both a champion on the field and as a champion for Northwest Utah County. I appreciate it. The male situation in Northwest Utah County is not good.
The current post office that serves our greater area is undersized and does not have the ability to properly service the area. As an example, they do not have the ability to install modern postal sorting equipment. Their clerks can sort approximately 300 packages an hour by hand, wherein a new facility in Saratoga Springs with modern equipment, they can sort 3,000 packages an hour. I asked our good partners at the Valley Crossroads Chamber of Commerce to get me some data. On average, it's costing approximately $9,000 a year per business to not have proper postal service in the area.
It's costing 176 hours of driving, 2,700 miles annually, and 277 mile-gallons of fuel consumed per business. Our current postal location tells us they're at 130% overcapacity. In my statement, I said they service all that, the 1,700,000 packages with one dock door. It's just simply not sufficient for our area. And this bill, H.R. 4716, creates a path forward for new postal services for our incredibly fast growing community.
Thank you.
Speaker 2
Is there a way of looking at the economic impact of opening another post office, can you is that something we can be qualified or to be addressed?
Speaker 7
It is. And some of those numbers I just shared, if I look at the overall Northwest Utah County and not by business, we're looking at some staggering numbers. 4,800,000 miles driven annually because of the distance to the current post office. That's an economic impact of about $8,000,000 a year.
Speaker 2
Well, I just want to kind of remind everyone that, again, Utah is the fast growing state, one of the fast growing states in The Union. My warning to anybody who visits is if you come to Utah too often and stay too long, you become a Utah. And so this is example of the need we have as we grow and people come to visit. And I wanna thank you again for making this plea. And I would ask that we really address this.
We need it desperate. So thank you, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Mr. Owens. The gentleman yields, and now I recognize Mister Fulcher from Idaho for five minutes.
Speaker 11
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And to the chairman and their panel both, please forgive kind of the coming and going a little bit. There's this thing called dueling committees and dueling responsibilities that sometimes conflict, and so thank you for taking time to be here. I have had a chance to go through some of the written testimony, but appreciate your comments. My line of questioning and commentary is gonna be in line with the HR seven zero three one.
That's the next generation 911 national parks plan. And, this is something that we've been working on for a while, but the whole objective is to try to increase operating and physical safety for national park visitors. So, in that vein, miss Magowski, thank you for your commentary. But just if you could provide some clarification. With your experience in the 911 area, how have you seen differences in successful outcomes from centers that use the next gen 911 versus those that do not?
Speaker 10
Thank you, Congressman. The most important part is speed of being able to get help to the caller. In legacy systems, we are based on a level of block and grid, if you will, whereas in a next-gen environment, it's x y coordinates. And one of the things that I provided in my testimony was we had a lost hiker call, didn't know where they were at. And in a non-next generation 911 environment, we would have to send somebody out there to do a search for them.
But in a next gen nine eleven, our dispatcher was able to stay on the phone, watch them, have their call plotted on our map, and give them turn-by-turn directions to help themselves, saving our resources for other emergencies. So, really, with next generation 911, it allows us that faster ability for dispatchers to be able to provide services. It allows for multimedia calls, so video and real-time texting. We allow for that. And it also allows for cybersecurity protection and the ability to have calls default routed to other agencies when that center may become overwhelmed.
And in a legacy system, we do not have those.
Speaker 11
Got it. Thank you for that. And in your written testimony, you also mentioned that the NextGen 911 telecom or telecommunicators must sometimes dial a separate number and then verbally relay information. Explain that. What does that mean?
They have to call a separate number and verbally relay info?
Speaker 10
Yes. In our legacy 911 system, it's not all interconnected. So if I am interconnected with my local partners here, I might be able to transfer the call to 911. But oftentimes, more remote or especially in parks, it's going to be a 10-digit number. So the dispatcher is going to have to call a 10-digit number and talk to that other dispatcher to relay that information.
And we are unable to send any of the data, especially the location data of the caller. We're not able to transfer it.
Speaker 10
It's not lost. Let me clarify. We have it. We have to verbally relay it, but that takes more time wherein in a next generation nine one one system, we automatically can transfer that information and save those seconds and minutes towards that response of that person in need.
Speaker 11
Okay. So if I understand correctly, none of our national parks have this currently. Correct?
Speaker 11
Okay. Alright. Thank you. I'm gonna shift gears just for a minute because I wanna get to mister Kearn with a question. Once again, thank you for your feedback and testimony as well.
But, in regard to the post office in Saratoga Springs, how would that post office create, let's say, substantial benefits in mail receipt time. Is the mail receipt time the only rule benefit, or are there others that go with it?
Speaker 7
Thank you for the question. No. The benefits would be, mail receipt time is not the issue. The current post office does incredible work, being 130% over their capacity today. It would be the benefit of shorter times for the residents of Northwest Utah County and Saratoga Springs, at the retail windows as well as the additional time driving when residents go to the post office and spend time away from home or businesses traveling to the distant further away facility.
Speaker 11
Got it. Thank you for that. And I know I covered it up a couple of different subjects there, but just as I close out my comments back on the national park issue, you know, Miss McGaughy, we're doing our best to try to encourage people to use this park system, and we should. Right? And so I I'm hopeful that we can put together a plan to increase the safety as we encourage people to do that so that we're not putting more pressure on local responders and more danger for those who participate.
So thank you for your help and your comments. Mister chairman, I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, time has expired. I'll recognize a gentlelady from New Mexico, Miss Stansbury, for five minutes.
Speaker 12
Good morning. Thank you all so much for traveling such a long way. I wanna open this morning by saying that I support all of these bills, and I'm grateful to have a bipartisan hearing this morning to support so many important pieces of legislation to commemorate the history, the cultures, and communities that make this great nation what it is. So thank you, Mr. Tiffany. I am so proud and honored to welcome our special guest here today, Tina Cordova, who has been a relentless advocate for New Mexico's downwinders and for all of New Mexico's communities who have been affected by nuclear fallout and nuclear mining in our state.
And I am so proud to cosponsor HR 4290, the Downwinder Commemoration Act, which is led by my amazing colleague, Gabe Vasquez. And he and I both share the Tularosa Basin, which is in Southern New Mexico, which is the site, as you've heard this morning, of the first Trinity site of our nation's nuclear program. And, of course, so many New Mexicans have been impacted by that testing as they have been in other states. But for New Mexico, I think what is particularly meaningful by the passage and expansion of Rica just a couple of years ago is that for generations, no one acknowledged what happened in New Mexico. And that is in part because of the history of the Manhattan Project and the secrecy that surrounded the Trinity site itself, but also because people didn't believe New Mexicans had been impacted.
And for generations, our families had suffered from rare diseases, cancers. People knew that radioactive material had fallen from the sky in the days and weeks after that test. And yet, even though people suffered from disproportionate cancers and from terrible tragedies in their families, there was no acknowledgement, there was no apology, and certainly there was no support for the medical fallout that impacted so many families. So I'm grateful for the bipartisanship that led to the passage of RICA and to the expansion of that program. And I'm here today to support this particular bill that will expand our commemoration and remembrance of these important historical events that impacted our communities.
But I want to use the opportunity today to talk a little bit more about the impacts that the test had in New Mexico, and especially to help our people back home know how they can apply to get compensation. And so, Miss Cordova, welcome. We're so grateful to have you here today. I know you've already shared a little this morning, but talk to us more about how the Trinity test in particular impacted our communities in the Tularosa Basin.
Speaker 9
Thank you very much, Representative Stansbury, for the question. Well, we are now documenting for 19 years the health histories of families in New Mexico, and we have thousands of these health surveys. I developed a health survey 19 years ago to do that. And what we're seeing is that there are now four or five generations in families of cancer. I'm the fourth generation to have cancer in my family.
I have one sister. She's had cancer. I have two brothers. My youngest brother was diagnosed with kidney cancer last year. His daughter, who's 23, is the fifth generation in my family.
She has thyroid cancer, the cancer I had. I already talked about my father. And so, this isn't going to end for us anytime soon. I mean, we're talking about radioactive isotopes that have exceedingly long half-lives. They're still in our environment.
We're still being exposed. And so many people have already lost their lives. And we fight every day to make sure the people who are in need of healthcare are receiving it. We're grateful for the RICA funds, which support that effort.
Speaker 12
And I'll just say, you know, even just a few months ago, I was in Carazozo, and we did an oral history project with some of the grandchildren of direct survivors of the test. And, just a few days after we did that, one of our community members was hospitalized. And so the impacts continue day after day, even for people who don't realize how they've been impacted. And because of the expansion of Rica, we now do have compensation available. Help us, spread the word for New Mexicans back home who may be eligible.
What do they need to know about how to apply for compensation?
Speaker 9
Thank you, representative Stansbury. So it's very straightforward. If you lived in any part of New Mexico between 1944 and 1962, and you can prove that you did so for at least one year, you can apply. There are 19 compensable cancers listed in Rica, and you'll be able to apply for a one-time payment of $100,000. You can also apply on behalf of a deceased loved one that meets those qualifications if they were your spouse, your parent, your grandparent, your child.
Speaker 12
Thank you so much, and thank you for your incredible advocacy. We wouldn't be sitting here today if it were not for you. So, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, ladies, time has expired, and it looks like I'm gonna be concluding the questioning here today. Miss Magowski, if enacted, what's being proposed here, will this save money for state and local agencies?
Speaker 10
That's a great question, chairman. Congress last did a study that completed in 2018 that showed nationwide development would cost 9 to 12,000,000,000, and that's 15,000,000,000 in today's dollars. We have asked congress for an initial investment of 3 to 5 billion in the grant program, and that would offset the costs of your local and state programs that are trying to build out next generation nine one one. But all of these are separate, and so we need that nationwide, so that it's connecting in our nation's parks as well as everywhere else.
Speaker 1
So it might take some of the burden off state and local. Is that correct?
Speaker 1
Mayor Karn, is the US Postal Service prepared to build a post office if this land is transferred?
Speaker 7
Thank you for the question, chairman. I can't speak to that. I can only speak to the bill transferring the 20 acres that congressman Owens introduced that requires the postal service to do it, but I've not had immediate conversations with the postal service.
Speaker 1
Yeah. So there is a requirement in the bill, though, that the postal service bill the post office for this property. Is that accurate?
Speaker 1
Yeah. Okay. And, Mister Lindsay, you mentioned that The Nature Conservancy owns this land that's in question. Is that right?
Speaker 1
Yeah. And how much are they asking for? First of all, are they asking for compensation?
Speaker 1
So they're asking a million dollars. Has anyone approached them and asked them to gift this to the park?
Speaker 8
I can't speak on that. I can only speak on the bill in front of me, to my knowledge. The asking price is just under 1,000,000.
Speaker 1
Do you know if it is possible for them to gift it? And then that would not require this bill if they gifted the property to the National Park.
Speaker 8
The way I understand it, the money was actually given to them in the beginning by the Imperial Bat Conservation Fund. And any funds that are required to purchase this land back, to my knowledge, the Nature Conservancy has said they're going to refund that to the imperiled bat conservation fund. That's the only knowledge I have as far as the price of the land in use.
Speaker 1
Yeah. So having been to Mammoth Cave with the kids, it's an incredible location. And, hopefully, we can find a solution to this and be able to fulfill what you're all requesting. And, but I think it'd be worth pursuing to see if there's a way for the Nature Conservancy, which is supposed to be a very beneficial organization, if they could just gift this, and perhaps we could maybe it would be the easiest way. I don't know the answer to that question.
But, anyhow, I don't know if you have anything more to add to that, you're welcome to. Don't have any other further follow-ups, mister Lindsay.
Speaker 8
No. I just, one thing that I wanted to make sure that we knew is this bill, I actually talked to my judge executives and mayors in their surrounding counties, and this legislation does have strong local support from those leaders also with regional organizations and conservation partners in Kentucky. Of course, we have 53,000 acres in Mammoth Cave National Park, and 47,000 of those are in Edmonton County. So we work really closely with Mammoth Cave, and they're a great partner for our community. And we appreciate the thoughtfulness of bringing this bill in.
And, hopefully, as you stated, we can bring it to fruition and better the Mammoth Cave National Park as well as the local economies and also the local lands.
Speaker 1
Yeah. Hopefully, we can find a way to hopefully find a solution. That concludes my questioning. I'd like to thank all the witnesses for your valuable testimony, and members for your questions. Members of the subcommittee may have some additional questions for our witnesses today.
We will ask that those be responded to in writing. Under committee rule three, members of the subcommittee must submit questions to the subcommittee clerk by 5 PM on Monday, 03/23/2026. The hearing record will be held open for ten business days for the responses, if there is no further business. Without objection, the subcommittee on federal lands stands adjourned.
Ask anything about this video — I analyse its transcript to answer.