Pine Mountain historical center urges senators to vote against Senate Bill 5653
Director says bill could strip Section 106 regulations; sponsors say safeguards remain
PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (WTVM) - Lou Brackett, director of the Chipley Historical Center, is asking senators to vote against Senate Bill 5653, saying regulations in Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act could be stripped away. The senators who put the bill forward say otherwise.
Senate Bill 5653, known as the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, was introduced in the U.S. Senate in September, before the chamber went into recess. The bill includes potential changes to environmental review and potential rule changes to the National Historic Preservation Act, which has been in place for 60 years.
What the bill says
According to the bill, its purpose is to establish a procedure by which federal agencies shall consider and tell the public “reasonably foreseeable environmental effects of major federal actions on the human environment.”
What preservation advocates say
Brackett said some changes to those major federal actions could include what happens with historic sites.
“It’s going to make it to where a person in Washington will decide on that cemetery that we were talking about earlier, who probably has never been here, doesn’t know the history of the area,” Brackett said. “Or, if it was a tribal place, or someplace that was important to the Native Americans, the state will no longer have input.”
Brackett and other advocates say the bill would weaken the protections the National Historic Preservation Act requires.
Gretchen Eggiman, president of the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists, said: “They are proposing to eliminate and change serious amounts of language that are within that that would eviscerate the ability for archaeologists and historic preservationists to be able to do their job.”
What the bill’s sponsors say
The senators sponsoring the bill say it will help get projects started faster and keep some safeguards in place.
In a release from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Martin Heinrich said: “This Act will help us get to ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on energy projects faster, while protecting important environmental safeguards and protecting the ability of Tribes to formally consult during these processes. It will mean more energy on the grid, more good-paying jobs, and lower electricity costs for families and businesses.”
What happens next
The Senate is in recess. The vote on the bill is set for Nov. 9.
Before the bill potentially passes, people can contact their senators to share their views on it.
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