119-HR-6062 Journalist Public Summary
A House bill would swap 25 acres from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park to CBP’s training campus in exchange for about 71.5 acres going into the park, aiming to let the Border Patrol facility expand while adding battlefield land to Schoolhouse Ridge; it’s backed by West Virginia’s delegation and local NPS staff, and is still at the committee stage. (congress.gov)
Public Summary
Headline Summary: Swap 25 acres out of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park to expand CBP’s training center, while adding roughly 71.5 acres of CBP land into the park to protect more of Schoolhouse Ridge. (congress.gov)
What It Does: The bill transfers administrative jurisdiction over two sets of federal parcels in Harpers Ferry, WV: about 25 acres move from the National Park Service (NPS) to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to be managed as part of CBP’s Advanced Training Center (ATC), while roughly 71.51 acres move from CBP to NPS and are added to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. It instructs boundary adjustments, requires a survey, waives the park’s legacy acreage cap for these parcels, makes the exchange without monetary payment, and includes a reversion clause returning the CBP parcel to the park if ATC no longer needs it. (congress.gov)
- Rep. Riley Moore (R‑WV) sponsors the bill; original House co‑sponsors include Rep. Carol Miller (R‑WV), Rep. Mark Amodei (R‑NV) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R‑ID). Supporters say the swap clears a long‑standing boundary hurdle so CBP can modernize and expand training at Harpers Ferry’s ATC. (congress.gov)
- A National Park Service spokesperson told local media the exchange would improve public access and stewardship of Schoolhouse Ridge while allowing ATC’s expansion—framing it as a shared goal of NPS and CBP for more than a decade. (observerwv.com)
- There is a Senate companion (S. 2280) with substantially similar language, indicating bicameral interest in the exchange. (congress.gov)
- Context for supporters: CBP’s Harpers Ferry campus has seen recent growth (e.g., Monarch Hall opened in June 2025), and proponents argue additional land is needed to meet training demands. (wvmetronews.com)
- Some conservation and historic‑preservation advocates typically scrutinize removing any land from a national park, warning about precedent and impacts on battlefield viewsheds; groups active at Harpers Ferry emphasize protecting Schoolhouse Ridge and related landscapes. (This reflects general positions and past preservation work, not a formal stance on this specific bill.) (npca.org)
- Process and transparency questions: local reporting notes the CBP side has not publicly detailed immediate construction plans for the 25‑acre parcel even as the park would gain continuous acreage on Schoolhouse Ridge. (observerwv.com)
What’s Next: As of March 12, 2026, Congress.gov shows H.R. 6062 at the “Introduced” stage and referred to the House Committees on Natural Resources, Homeland Security, and Ways and Means; no House floor votes have occurred. A companion bill is filed in the Senate. Next typical steps would be a subcommittee hearing and full‑committee markup before any floor consideration. (congress.gov)
Discussion