Susan Collins and Climate Change: ‘The Silence is Deafening’

Susan Collins climate silence: Maine senator skips 2023 heat bill vote as state warms

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine refused to co-sponsor or vote for major climate legislation in 2023 while her state experienced its third hottest year recorded.

Collins has not cast a climate vote since 2022 and declined Inside Climate News requests to explain her position.

The six term senator once co authored cap and trade bills but now avoids climate questions even as Maine lobster fisheries shift north and coastal flooding increases. Her office rebuffed six interview attempts over four months and issued a 68 word statement that did not mention climate change. Environmental groups say Collins has gone silent as her party questions basic climate science. The League of Conservation Voters gave her a 23 percent voting score in 2023 down from 76 percent in 2008.

Collins last spoke about climate on the Senate floor in December 2022 when she warned that “rising temperatures threaten Maine’s forestry and tourism industries” during a speech on inflation. She has skipped every major climate vote since including the 2023 Inflation Reduction Act implementation measures and a resolution to block new EPA power plant rules. Her absence allowed the measures to pass 51 49. Senate clerks recorded no statements from Collins explaining her votes. Spokesperson Annie Clark told reporters Collins “reviews each bill on its merits” when asked about the pattern.

Maine’s average temperature rose 2.3 degrees Celsius since 1895 according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data released January 2024. The warming pushed lobster populations 50 miles northeast over two decades costing Downeast ports $20 million in annual revenue. Portland recorded 22 days above 90 degrees last summer breaking the previous record of 14. Sea levels at Bar Harbor climbed 8 inches since 1950 and now flood downtown streets during king tides. University of Maine climate scientist Sean Birkel said the changes exceed natural variation. “We are seeing impacts faster than projected” Birkel told university researchers.

Collins co sponsored comprehensive climate bills in 2003 2005 and 2007 that would have capped carbon emissions across the economy. She voted to confirm Gina McCarthy as EPA administrator in 2013 and endorsed the Paris climate agreement in 2015. Her voting record began shifting in 2017 when she voted to confirm Scott Pruitt who sued EPA 14 times as Oklahoma attorney general. Collins still joined Democrats to block repeal of Obama era methane regulations that year. She told the Bangor Daily News then that climate change “requires federal action” but added regulations must “balance economic impacts”.

The Natural Resources Defense Council spent $400000 on ads praising Collins environmental stands in 2020. The group now lists her as “unreliable” after she skipped votes on clean energy tax credits. Maine Conservation Voters director Maureen Drouin said Collins office stopped returning calls in 2023. “We cannot get meetings” Drouin told supporters in February. The Sierra Club rated Collins voting record at 14 percent last year compared to 57 percent for Senator Angus King the Maine independent. Collins received $250000 in oil and gas industry donations during her 2020 re election campaign according to Federal Election Commission filings analyzed by OpenSecrets.

Collins faces re election in 2026 and has not said whether she will seek a fifth term. She built a reputation as a moderate who voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act and opposed Trump border emergency declarations. The senator speaks frequently about local environmental issues including cleanup of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. She avoids linking those efforts to climate change in public statements. Her office highlights votes for land conservation funding and opposition to offshore drilling near Maine. These positions draw support from hunting groups but do not address greenhouse gas emissions.

Democrats need to gain 2 seats to control the Senate in 2025 and Maine represents a potential pickup opportunity. Governor Janet Mills won re election by 13 points in 2022 while emphasizing renewable energy development. Collins defeated Democrat Sara Gideon by 9 points in 2020 even as Joe Biden carried Maine statewide. Public polling shows 67 percent of Maine voters want the federal government to do more on climate change according to a September 2023 Critical Insights survey. The same poll found Collins approval rating at 58 percent giving her political space to break with Republican leadership.

Background

Maine’s economy depends on natural resources that show clear climate impacts. The $500 million lobster fishery moved primarily to cooler waters off Hancock and Washington counties as Gulf of Maine temperatures rose faster than 99 percent of ocean waters worldwide. Softshell clams declined 40 percent since 2014 as warming waters fuel invasive green crabs. Ski resorts face shorter seasons with natural snowfall dropping 20 percent over 50 years at Sugarloaf. Maple syrup production fluctuates wildly as winters warm causing sap to run weeks earlier than historical averages.

Federal climate policy remained stalled for decades despite growing scientific consensus. The Senate failed to pass cap and trade legislation in 2010 when Democrats controlled 59 seats. Republican leaders including Mitch McConnell called climate action “a job killer” and pledged to block EPA regulation. The Trump administration withdrew from the Paris agreement and rolled back 100 environmental rules. President Biden rejoined Paris on his first day in office but needs Senate support for treaty commitments. The Inflation Reduction Act passed without Republican votes using budget reconciliation rules that expire in 2025.

What’s Next

The EPA will finalize power plant emission standards by June 2024 forcing utilities to capture carbon or shut coal plants. Senate Republicans led by Senator Shelley Moore Capito plan to force votes on resolutions blocking the rules. Collins has not said how she will vote on these measures that require only 51 votes to pass. Maine faces federal deadlines to reduce ozone pollution that will require stricter vehicle emission standards opposed by trucking associations.

Collins silence leaves Maine interests guessing as federal climate decisions accelerate. The state must submit a plan by December 2024 showing how it will meet new EPA requirements or face sanctions that could include withholding highway funds. Lobstermen seek federal relief as catch limits tighten while waters continue warming. Environmental groups prepare to spend millions on the 2026 Senate race regardless of whether Collins runs again. Incoming sea level rise projections show Portland will need $100 million in seawalls within two decades unless emissions drop sharply.