119-S-290 Investigative Journalist Impact Analysis

Summary

What the bill does: mandates an Interior-led assessment and follow-on plan to install Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) in National Park System emergency communications centers; it does not itself fund deployments. Hearing activity occurred on December 9, 2025 in the Senate ENR Subcommittee on National Parks. [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — S.290 - Making National Parks Safer Act (T…

• NG911 is defined in federal regulation as an IP-based, interoperable, secure system enabling ECCs/PSAPs to receive and share voice, text, photos, video, and related data. [2]LII / Cornell Law School — 47 CFR § 9.28 - Definitions (NG911)
• The National Park Service (NPS) manages high visitor volumes and the majority of SAR incidents on federal lands, implying meaningful operational stakes for improved emergency communications. [5]National Park Service — Visitor Use Statistics Dashboard (CY2024 Highlights)[4]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Search and Rescue (SAR) Ope…
• Federal watchdogs note most federal call centers have not fully upgraded to NG911; challenges include funding priorities, interoperability with state/local systems, cybersecurity, and data management—risks that will also confront NPS. [3]U.S. Government Accountability Office — Next Generation 911: Some Federal Agenc…

Sources: NPS visitation dashboard; CRS brief on SAR; CRS analysis of NG911 costs; EIA emissions coefficients. [5]National Park Service — Visitor Use Statistics Dashboard (CY2024 Highlights)[4]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Search and Rescue (SAR) Ope…[7]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Funding the Transition to N…[8]U.S. Energy Information Administration — Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients…

Economic Effects

Direct fiscal effects arise first from assessment and planning, with downstream capital and operating costs contingent on future appropriations and intergovernmental agreements.

• Interior workload and administrative cost: The bill mandates a systemwide assessment (within 1 year) and a follow-on installation plan (within 1 year of the report). These are real staff and contractor costs, though the bill contains no appropriation; Congress.gov shows no CBO estimate yet. [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — S.290 - Making National Parks Safer Act (T…
• Capital and lifecycle costs (context): National deployment/operation of NG911 across U.S. PSAPs has been estimated at $13.5–$16.1B over 10 years; while S. 290 covers only NPS centers, it will have to interoperate with state/local ESInets that are variably funded—implicating external financing dependencies. [7]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Funding the Transition to N…
• Interoperability efficiencies: NG911 enables cross‑jurisdiction call/data transfer and backup across PSAP boundaries, reducing duplicate handling and potentially lowering response/transport costs in gateway parks bordering counties and states. [2]LII / Cornell Law School — 47 CFR § 9.28 - Definitions (NG911)[6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov
• Avoided SAR costs (potential): NPS bears significant SAR expense; better caller location and data sharing may shorten searches and reduce resource‑hours (helicopter/overtime), though realized savings depend on coverage, training, and CAD integration. [4]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Search and Rescue (SAR) Ope…[6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov
• Procurement and vendor‑lock risks: Absent disciplined adherence to open standards (e.g., NENA i3), agencies can face proprietary interfaces, higher integration costs, and reduced competition. The bill’s interoperability definition aligns with non‑proprietary exchange; execution is the test. [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — S.290 - Making National Parks Safer Act (T…[9]Federal Register / U.S. Government Publishing Office — Federal Register discuss…
• Federal–state cost sharing: GAO finds federal ECCs cite funding priorities and the need to maintain compatibility with state/local centers as barriers—signaling likely negotiation costs to align NPS with regional ESInets. [3]U.S. Government Accountability Office — Next Generation 911: Some Federal Agenc…

Social Effects

Implications for visitor safety, equity, and the public workforce.

• Visitor safety and outcomes: NG911’s ability to ingest text, photos, video and to transfer calls/data to the best‑situated PSAP can improve situational awareness and triage in large, complex parks with multi‑agency response. [2]LII / Cornell Law School — 47 CFR § 9.28 - Definitions (NG911)[6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov
• High exposure baseline: With 331.9M visits in 2024 and NPS accounting for most federal‑land SARs, even modest improvements in location accuracy or PSAP handoffs could affect thousands of incidents annually. [5]National Park Service — Visitor Use Statistics Dashboard (CY2024 Highlights)[4]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Search and Rescue (SAR) Ope…
• Access for visitors with disabilities or coverage constraints: NG911 supports text‑to‑911 and multimedia; benefits hinge on local implementation and network reach in remote terrain—gaps the plan must map explicitly. [6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov
• Workforce impacts: Transitioning to NG911 requires training telecommunicators on new data flows and cybersecurity practices; GAO and CISA highlight added data‑management and cyber responsibilities that can increase cognitive load without staffing relief. [3]U.S. Government Accountability Office — Next Generation 911: Some Federal Agenc…[10]Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — Transition to Next Generatio…
• Community trust and transparency: Richer incident data will expand records subject to disclosure/retention, raising privacy and governance questions (e.g., storage of images/videos of injured parties) that NPS policy must clarify. [6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov

Environmental Effects

No direct land‑use changes; effects are indirect and operational.

• Potential reduction in aviation hours: Faster location/coordination could trim helicopter search time in some SARs; because jet fuel emits ~9.75 kg CO2 per gallon, fewer flight‑hours proportionally reduce emissions. Magnitude depends on incident mix and availability of air assets. [8]U.S. Energy Information Administration — Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients…
• IT footprint: NG911 increases IP networking and data storage within ECCs/PSAPs. Net emissions effect depends on data‑center energy sources and the extent of decommissioning legacy systems; federal guidance does not quantify this for PSAPs. [6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov
• Operational spillovers: Improved interoperability with interagency dispatch (e.g., FICC) may optimize resource deployment during wildland fire or multi‑park incidents, potentially reducing redundant sorties or staging miles. Evidence is directional rather than quantified. [11]U.S. interagency (OSCC/NIFC) — Federal Interagency Communication Center (FICC)…

Temporal Analysis

Distinguishing immediate from long‑range effects.

Unintended Consequences

Risks and secondary effects to watch, based on prior federal and state NG911 experience.

• Interstate interoperability gap: FCC has flagged the need for standards to ensure seamless ESInet traffic across state lines; without it, parks straddling borders may still face call/data transfer friction. [15]Federal Communications Commission / Federal Register — Federal Register: FCC NG…
• Governance and data burdens: Increased multimedia and GIS reliance demands policies for retention, FOIA, redaction, and victim privacy; absent clear rules, legal risk grows. [6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov
• Vendor lock‑in and integration debt: Divergence from open standards (e.g., NENA i3/EIDO) or proprietary CAD‑to‑CAD bridges can raise costs and trap agencies. [9]Federal Register / U.S. Government Publishing Office — Federal Register discuss…
• Rural backhaul and coverage constraints: NG911 benefits are limited where fiber/middle‑mile and radio coverage remain thin—common around large, remote parks; the plan will need to surface these infrastructure dependencies. [12]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — NG911 Roadmap: Connecting Systems Nationwide
• Uneven state readiness: States are at different stages of NG911 rollout, complicating NPS interop; federal GAO found many federal ECCs have not upgraded, reflecting broader headwinds. [3]U.S. Government Accountability Office — Next Generation 911: Some Federal Agenc…

Assessment

Bottom line from a forensic, evidence-first review.

Favorable, unfavorable, or neutral? Neutral. The bill compels due diligence (assessment and plan) aligned with widely accepted NG911 standards and federal priorities, but it contains no money and leaves major dependencies—funding, interstate interop, rural connectivity, cybersecurity—to future actions. Given NPS’s visitor load and SAR profile, the potential upside is significant, but delivery risk is equally real without parallel appropriations and governance work. [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — S.290 - Making National Parks Safer Act (T…[12]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — NG911 Roadmap: Connecting Systems Nationwide[4]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Search and Rescue (SAR) Ope…[5]National Park Service — Visitor Use Statistics Dashboard (CY2024 Highlights)

Sourcing

Principal materials informing this analysis (citations embedded above).

• Bill text and status: Congress.gov S. 290 (hearing noted 12/09/2025). [1]Congress.gov / Library of Congress — S.290 - Making National Parks Safer Act (T…
• Definition and scope of NG911: 47 CFR 9.28 (LII). [2]LII / Cornell Law School — 47 CFR § 9.28 - Definitions (NG911)
• National 911 Program background and roadmap: 911.gov issue page and NG911 Roadmap. [6]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — Next Generation 911 | 911.gov[12]U.S. DOT / National 911 Program — NG911 Roadmap: Connecting Systems Nationwide
• Cost landscape and state readiness: CRS R48015; GAO-24-106783. [7]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Funding the Transition to N…[3]U.S. Government Accountability Office — Next Generation 911: Some Federal Agenc…
• NPS operating context: NPS visitation dashboard; CRS IF12020 on SAR. [5]National Park Service — Visitor Use Statistics Dashboard (CY2024 Highlights)[4]Congressional Research Service (via Congress.gov) — Search and Rescue (SAR) Ope…
• Interagency dispatch examples: Federal Interagency Communication Center (FICC). [11]U.S. interagency (OSCC/NIFC) — Federal Interagency Communication Center (FICC)…
• Environmental factor reference: EIA CO2 coefficients for jet fuel. [8]U.S. Energy Information Administration — Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients…
• Standards and interop concerns: NENA i3 cited in Federal Register discussion. [9]Federal Register / U.S. Government Publishing Office — Federal Register discuss…