PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 13, 2026
The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that could cause irreparable harm to Maine communities. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) would undermine Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, one of our nation’s most important tools for ensuring that tribes, state and local governments and the public have a voice in federal decisions that affect their communities. Section 106 was established so that before a federally funded project moved forward, the people who live there were heard. BAAJA would leave the decisions to federal officials. ~ Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, 1976-2015, Maine State Historian, Hallowell