Legislative hearing on six bills

The Subcommittee on Federal Lands will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the subcommittee at any time. The subcommittee is meeting today to consider six bills: H.R. 3286 by Representative Guthrie; 4290, Representative Vasquez; 4716, Representative Owens; 5555, Representative Panetta; 6062, Representative Moore of West Virginia; 7031, Representative Fulcher. I ask unanimous consent that the following members be allowed to participate in today's hearing from the dais: gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Guthrie; the gentleman from California, Mr. Panetta; the gentleman from Utah, Mr. Owens; the gentleman from New Mexico, Mr. Vasquez; and the gentleman from West Virginia, Mr. Moore. Without objection, so ordered. Under Committee Rule 4(f), any oral opening statements at hearings are limited to the chairman and the ranking minority member. I therefore ask unanimous consent that all other members' opening statements be made part of the hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3(o). Without objection, so ordered. I'll now recognize myself for an opening statement. Subcommittee on Federal Lands meets today to consider several bills that touch on a range of issues we deal with regularly: how federal lands are managed, how agencies coordinate with local communities, and how we make sure the places Americans visit every year are safe and accessible. A lot of the work this subcommittee does is practical. It's about fixing problems on the ground, improving coordination between agencies and local communities, and making sure federal land policies work for the people who live closest to these lands and know them best. We'll begin with Making National Parks Safer Act, introduced by Representative Fulcher. National park visitation continues to grow, and when emergencies happen in these areas, reliable communication can literally be the difference between life and death. Many park dispatch centers still rely on outdated analog systems that simply don't work in remote, rugged terrain. This bill directs the Department of Interior to assess the status of NextGen 911 technology across the National Park System and develop a plan to modernize emergency communications. NextGen 911 systems allow emergency dispatch centers to receive not just phone calls, but also texts, photos, and other digital information that can help first responders quickly understand what is happening and where help is needed. These capabilities are especially important in national parks where visitors may have limited connectivity and traditional phone calls are not always possible. Modernizing these systems will help ensure that when Americans visit our public lands, help is available when it's needed most. We will also be considering two transfers of administrative jurisdiction today. The first, H.R. 4716, which was introduced by Representative Owens, addresses a very practical challenge in Saratoga Springs, Utah. This rapidly growing community still does not have its own post office, leaving more than 200,000 residents to rely on a single facility in nearby Lehi, Utah. This legislation would transfer about 20 acres of land managed by the BLM to the U.S. Postal Service so a new post office can be built, improving service for the surrounding communities. The second piece of legislation related to administrative jurisdiction transfers is H.R. 6062, introduced by Representative Moore of West Virginia. This bill carries out a long-planned administrative realignment of federal land near Harpers Ferry National Historical Park between the National Park Service and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The goal is straightforward: allow both agencies to manage land in a way that better supports their missions. Under Representative Moore's bill, the National Park Service will receive approximately 72 acres of land to fully connect a historic Civil War-era battlefield. In exchange, Customs and Border Protection will receive 25 acres of National Park Service land to expand operations at its existing Advanced Training Center. This is a win-win solution as it allows improved access to a historic battlefield in time for America's 250th birthday celebrations and also helps train officers for the important duty of securing our nation's borders. We will also consider H.R. 3286, introduced by Representative Guthrie. This legislation would allow the National Park Service to acquire roughly 551 acres of land, which includes two prominent cave systems, for inclusion in Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. I look forward to hearing more about this proposal today and learning about its support within the local community. I'd also like to commend Chairman Guthrie for his leadership on this effort on behalf of his constituents. I want to thank each of our witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to hearing their testimony. With that, I yield back. And first, we are going to hear from Representative Owens on his bill, H.R. 4716. The floor is yours for up to five minutes, Representative.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for holding this hearing today. Before I get started, I just want to highlight a couple things about my great state of Utah. It is one of the fastest-growing states in the Union, top three. From 2015 to 2025, it grew 17.9 percent total population. Our annual growth is around 1 percent to 1.3 percent, well above the national average of 0.5 percent. Of that, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, and Lehi represent about 237,000 people. For the next five years, this corridor will surge to 90,000 from Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain, and Lehi will push past 100,000. That's going to 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, of 230,000 people and upward. It takes up to an hour to get from Lehi to either of the other communities. Despite the best efforts of postal workers in Lehi, our facilities are too small for the workload and service area. One post office has often had delays and sometimes mail lost. The wear and tear on employees and vehicles as post office drivers drive long distances before just getting started to their 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 not led to any meaningful results. It's been one of the most frustrating efforts of my time here in the Congress. In 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 and the need for a new post office. Personal calls to leadership were 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 in regarding another post office in the area. So my 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 delivers a much-needed post office for my constituents. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to speak on this legislation today. I look forward to the hearing and hearing from our expert witnesses.

Yeah, thank you, Representative Owens. I now recognize Representative Vasquez for five minutes on H.R. 4290.

Thank you so much, Chairman Tiffany, and to Ranking Member Neguse for considering H.R. 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, D.C., from New Mexico, in our nation's capital, for nearly a decade, testifying before Congress to bring justice, acknowledgment, and compensation to the families who were unknowing and unwilling victims to the fallout from our nation's first nuclear test. In the early hours of July 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 continue to be affected decades later by debilitating health effects, including rare cancers, infertility, and death. For 80 years, these communities were denied recognition for their suffering until last year, on July 4, 2025, when the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was expanded to include New Mexico downwinders. And I will add that 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 downwinder 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 soon place plaques at our military installations through the FY26 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 acknowledgment 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.

Thank you, Representative Vasquez. I now recognize Representative Moore for five minutes on H.R. 7031. The floor is yours, sir.

Thank you very much, Mr. 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, H.R. 6062. This will swap a total of 97 acres of federal lands 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 contains historically significant battlefield landscape that should be preserved. In return, CBP will receive 25 acres of National Park Service land that is necessary for expansion of the CBP Advanced Training Center. This facility is where supervisory-level officers and other elite Border 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 U.S. Customs 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, West Virginia. In 2024, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park received approximately 488,000 visitors. This tourism generates roughly $29.2 million 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 H.R. 6062 and 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. This, unfortunately, there is a giant donut in the middle of a Civil War battlefield. That's really generally the problem. And so the idea would be to give that back to the National Park Service because they cannot maintain 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 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 Byrd, 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 no continuity in it. And both departments are supportive of this. And I've spoken to Secretary Burgum 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.

Thank you, Representative Moore. I now recognize Representative Panetta for five minutes on H.R. 5555.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it. Nice to be here in the subcommittee. Thank you very much. And obviously appreciate Chairman Westerman as well and Ranking Member Huffman and obviously members to the subcommittee. I want to speak today about support for my legislation, as you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, H.R. 5555, 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 on the central coast of California. 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 that this area deserves. H.R. 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, for immigration, and for 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 came together, and a distinctly American story took place along that 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 Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, the Pinnacles National Park, and so much more. These types of things bring together local governments, nonprofits, 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 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 H.R. 5555. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. And well, prior to doing that, sorry, Mr. 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. Maury Gilday from MBEP emailed a statement to committee staff on H.R. 5555, and I would like to ask for unanimous consent for their statement to be entered into the record.

So ordered.

Thank you, sir. I yield back.

Gentleman 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 on 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 Carn, Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah. Mayor Carn, you are recognized for five minutes.

Thank you, Chairman Westerman, Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Neguse, 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 Benze of Lehi and Mayor Jared Gray of Eagle Mountain, as well as many members of all three city councils who are seated 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 over 70,000. When I moved there, we had a gas station, a grocery store, and a Hollywood Video. Today we have more than a thousand businesses. Over the past decade, with growth accelerating sharply in 2020, we have more than doubled in size in six 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 2026, it is a major residential area with 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 city boundaries for routine postal services, creating a significant burden. The combined population of Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, and Lehi 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 Lehi post office on average of 6.6 times per year, with 1.8 members of each household making the trip. Each visit lasts on average of 70 minutes. Those numbers reflect not convenience, but strain on working families, seniors, and small businesses alike. The Lehi 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 1.7 million parcels annually with a single dock door. The growth of our region has expanded dramatically, the postal service infrastructure serving it has not. H.R. 4716 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 U.S. 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 services are not a luxury. They are essential infrastructure for families, businesses, and the continued economic vitality of our rapidly growing communities. I respectfully urge the committee to advance H.R. 4716 so that residents and businesses of Saratoga Springs and northwest Utah County can finally receive the level of postal service that our growth demands. Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Carn. Next, I'd like to introduce the Honorable Ronald Scott Lindsey, Judge Executive of Edmonson County, Kentucky. Judge Executive Lindsey, you are recognized for five minutes.

Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Neguse, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for allowing me to testify on behalf of Congressman Brett Guthrie and 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, Edmonson 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 park's roughly 52,000 acres extend across Edmonson, Barren, and Hart 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 our 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 visitor, I'm sorry, 747,000 visitors came to the park and spent an estimated $73.2 million in nearby communities. These expenditures supported more than 880 jobs and nearly $100 million 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. H.R. 3286 would authorize the Secretary of 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 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 contains 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 conservation easement and the 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 a million dollars and will be funded through 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 will continue to drive tourism and economic development for communities across South Central Kentucky. Thank you again, Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Neguse, and members of the subcommittee for holding this hearing. I appreciate your consideration of H.R. 3286 and look forward to answering any questions you may have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Lindsey. I'll now recognize Ms. Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. Ms. Cordova, you are recognized for five minutes.

Good morning, Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Neguse, 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 want to acknowledge that there are two women serving on this subcommittee from New Mexico, Representative Leger Fernandez and 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 July 16, 1945. Most people know the history of the Manhattan Project and the bomb, but people, 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 that lived in close proximity to the test site. Furthermore, I hope that you will support H.R. 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 U.S. 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 Gillilands, the Gallegoses, 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 24,000 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 proportion. 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, 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 their lifestyles. Maybe the most difficult truth is a 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, 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, Anastacio Cordova, died after suffering for more than eight 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 in the, no other state in the U.S. sacrificed more than New Mexico for our national security during World War II. 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 downwinders 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.

Thank you, Ms. Cordova. Finally, I'd like to recognize Ms. LeAnn Magoski, ENP, President of NENA: The 9-1-1 Association. Ms. Magoski, you are recognized for five minutes.

Thank you, Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Neguse, and members of the subcommittee. I am honored to be here to testify. As President of the National Emergency Number Association, NENA, 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 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 9-1-1 infrastructure at the National Park Service public safety answering points or PSAPs. As both the President of NENA and a 9-1-1 professional with over 30 years of experience, I can attest to the life-saving benefits of next generation 9-1-1. Next generation 9-1-1 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 9-1-1 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. NENA estimates that nearly 80 percent of all 9-1-1 calls now come from wireless devices. These devices can send life-saving 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 beauties, vistas, and many visitors carry their phones to capture these moments with friends and family. As you know, many tourists are unfamiliar with the terrain or 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 at. But in an emergency, a local PSAP would likely be the nearest point of contact for a 9-1-1 call within a national park because of the way legacy systems are routed. Until next generation 9-1-1 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 9-1-1 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 next generation 9-1-1. Mr. Chairman, that is why we must deploy next gen 9-1-1 in our national parks and communities by enacting H.R. 7031, Making Public Lands Safer Act, sponsored by Representative Fulcher. However, we must ensure that the process doesn't start or end with Park Service. NENA has long advocated for nationwide development of next generation 9-1-1, and this will only work when all 9-1-1 centers across the country can acquire necessary technology. We need Congress to act now to ensure that every American, no matter where they are, has access to life-saving emergency response during their time of need. Finally, Mr. Chairman, there's another issue that is related to making public lands safer. Our 9-1-1 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 9-1-1 systems when the public called, someone answered, and help was just sent. Today, 9-1-1 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 our colleagues in field response as public safety personnel. And we are almost there. On September 10, 2025, the Senate by unanimous consent passed the Enhancing First Responders Act, Senate 725. On behalf of the tens of thousand 9-1-1 professionals, I urge you to pass Senate 725 under the suspension of the rules. This reclassification is not separate from next-generation 9-1-1. The pending legislation emphasizes that 9-1-1 professionals are a part of our emergency response network and are truly the nation's first first responders. Thank you for your attention to the importance of next-generation 9-1-1 in our nation's park, and I look forward to answering any questions.

Thank you, Ms. Magoski. I now recognize members for five minutes of questioning. Thank you, Ms. Magoski. I now recognize members for five minutes for questioning. First, we'll recognize the gentlelady from New Mexico, Ms. Leger Fernandez, for five minutes.

Thank you, Chair. And I would not only want to thank you, Ms. 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. 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 does it 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 towns and villages and didn't, even as the Geiger counters ticked up. They themselves 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 Tularosa Basin 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 want to 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 were exposed to radiation and suffered the illnesses that Ms. Cordova set out so graphically in terms of her own family's impact, that they are now entitled to $100,000 compensation. If you lived in New Mexico, were exposed to that radiation and developed the cancers, the thyroid cancers, the lung cancers, the blood cancers, that you are now entitled to that 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?

Thank you, Representative Leger 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, Denver. And of course, that takes money. And if you can't work, you lose your healthcare. 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 million in medical debt spread across about 2 million 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 before. They may put that money towards helping a child go to college, they may put that money towards doing, you know, remodels to their home to accommodate their illness. I mean, there's 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. 80 years. And so many, many people have died waiting. Many people have died waiting.

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 is doing to make sure that everybody knows about the importance that you can get $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, Mr. Chair, I yield back.

Representative's time has expired, and I now recognize the gentleman from Utah for five minutes of questioning.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Before I start my questions, I want to recognize three of the major communities in my district that are here today that will benefit from the passage of H.R. 4716. Please raise your hand if you're from Saratoga Springs. From Eagle Mountain. And Lehi. Okay, I call this the Utah way, by the way. This is an example of how Utah leaders really work hard to represent their constituents. I want to thank you guys for being here and for making this very, very important plea. Mayor Carn, can you tell us more about the current mail situation in Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area?

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, and I appreciate it. The mail 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, where in 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 our area. It's costing 176 hours of driving, 2,700 miles annually, and 277 gallons of fuel consumed per business. Our current postal location tells us they are 130 percent over capacity. In my statement, I said they service all that the 1.7 million 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.

Is there a way of looking at the economic impact of opening up that post office? Can you is that something that can be quantified or to be addressed?

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. 4.8 million miles driven annually because of the distance of the current post office. That's an economic impact of about $8 million a year.

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 my warning to anybody who visits is if you come to Utah too often and stay too long, you'll become Utah, and so this is an example of the need we have as we grow and people come to visit. And I want to thank you again for making this this plea, and I would ask that we really address this. We need it desperately. So thank you, and I yield back.

Thank you, Mr. Owens. The gentleman yields, and now I recognize Mr. Fulcher from Idaho for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And to the Chairman and our 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 conflicts, and so thank you for taking time and being 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 going to be in line with H.R. 7031. That's the Next Generation 9-1-1 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, Ms. Magoski, thank you for your commentary, but just if you could provide some clarification. With your experience in the 9-1-1 area, how have you seen differences in successful outcomes from centers that use the Next Gen 9-1-1 versus those that do not?

Thank you, Congressman. The most important part is speed of the 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 9-1-1 environment, we would have to send somebody out there to do a search for them. But in a Next Gen 9-1-1, 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 9-1-1, 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.

Got it. Thank you for that. And in your... Got it. Thank you for that. And in your written testimony, you also mentioned that the Next Gen 9-1-1 telecommunicators must sometimes dial a separate number and then verbally relay information. Explain that. What does that mean, that they have to call a separate number and verbally relay info?

Yes. In our legacy 9-1-1 system, it's not all interconnected. So if I am interconnected with my local partners here, I might be able to transfer the call on 9-1-1. 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 that caller, we're not able to transfer it.

So the additional image and locating capability is lost. Okay. So it's lost.

It's not lost. Let me clarify. We have it, we have to verbally relay it, but that takes more time. Where in a Next Generation 9-1-1 system, we automatically can transfer that information and save those seconds and minutes towards that response of that person in need.

Okay. So if I understand correctly, not all our national parks have this currently, correct?

Correct.

Okay. All right. Thank you. I'm going to shift gears just for a minute because I want to get to Mr. Carn 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 real benefit or is there others that go with it?

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 percent 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 further away facility.

Got it. Thank you for that. And I know I covered a couple of different subjects there, but just as I close out my comments back on the national park issue. You know, Ms. Magoski, we're doing our best to try to encourage people to use this park system and we should, right? And so 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. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

Gentleman's time has expired. I now recognize the gentlelady from New Mexico, Ms. Stansbury, for five minutes.

Good morning. Thank you all so much for traveling such a long way. I want to 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 and 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 by nuclear mining in our state. And I am so proud to cosponsor H.R. 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 in other states. But for New Mexico, I think what is particularly meaningful by the passage and expansion of RECA 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 that New Mexicans had been impacted. And for generations, our families had suffered with 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 acknowledgment, 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 RECA 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, Ms. 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.

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 the health survey 19 years ago to do that. And what we're seeing is that there are now four and five generations of 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 are talking about radioactive isotopes that have exceedingly long half-lives, they're still in our environment, we're still being exposed. And so many, 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. And we're grateful for the RECA funds which support that effort.

And I'll just say, you know, even just a few months ago, I was in Carrizozo 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 that don't realize how they've been impacted. And because of the expansion of RECA, 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?

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 for at least one year, you can apply. There are 19 compensable cancers listed in RECA 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, or your child.

Thank you so much and thank you for your incredible advocacy. We wouldn't be sitting here today if it wasn't for you. So thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Gentlelady's time has expired and I will, looks like I'm going to be concluding the questioning here today. Ms. Magoski, if enacted what's being proposed here, will this save money for state and local agencies?

That's a great question, Chairman. Congress last did a study that completed in 2018 that showed nationwide development would cost 9 to 12 billion, and that's 15 billion 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 9-1-1, 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.

So it might take some of the burden off from state and local, is that correct?

Absolutely.

Mayor Carn, is the U.S. Postal Service prepared to build a post office if this land is transferred?

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 have not had immediate conversations with the Postal Service.

Yeah, so there is a requirement in the bill that the Postal Service build a post office on this property, is that accurate?

That's correct.

Yeah. Okay. And Mr. Lindsey, you mentioned that the Nature Conservancy owns this land that's in question, is that right?

That is correct, sir.

And how much are they asking for? First of all, are they asking for compensation?

The asking price for the land is just under a million dollars.

So they're asking a million dollars. Has anyone approached them and asked them to gift this for the park?

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 a million.

Sure, sure. Do you know, is it possible for them to gift it and then that would not require this bill if they gifted the property to the National Park?

The way I understand it, the money was actually given to them in the beginning by the Imperiled 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.

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. But I think it'd be worth pursuing to see if there is 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, and I don't know if you have anything more to add to that, you're welcome to, otherwise I don't have any other further follow-ups, Mr. Lindsey.

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 the 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 53,000 acres in Mammoth Cave National Park and 47,000 of those are in Edmonson County. So we work really closely with Mammoth Cave and they're a great partner for our community and we appreciate the thoughtfulness on 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.

Yeah, hopefully we can find a way to, hopefully find a solution. 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 5:00 PM on Monday, March 23, 2026. The hearing record will be held open for 10 business days for the responses. If there is no further business, without objection, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands stands adjourned.