Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, criticized Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., for what she described as delays in efforts to shield Maine’s lobster industry from federal regulations adopted during the Biden administration. The legislation may gain traction in the Senate next month.
Cantwell is expected to visit Maine and meet with lobstermen, after previously opposing attempts to extend regulatory relief. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said this week he plans to move the bill forward when Congress returns in November.
“I’m glad Sen. Cantwell is coming to Maine to finally listen to our lobstermen,” Collins said. She accused Cantwell of opposing the Maine delegation’s 2022 effort to halt the regulations and of blocking legislation to extend the pause secured that year.
Cantwell called Collins’ comments “desperate” and “false accusations.” She said she supports the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act and extending relief for Maine lobstermen through 2035.
“When the Senate returns next week, I will continue to do the hard work on this bill, instead of engaging in political finger pointing,” Cantwell said.
Cantwell is expected to attend a listening session with Maine lobstermen alongside Troy Jackson, a Democratic Senate candidate, at an event hosted by the Maine Lobster Union. She said she spoke directly with Maine fishermen in 2022 and is doing so again now.
She also said she worked with the federal government and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, during former President Joe Biden’s administration to secure the original protections.
The bill was passed by the House in September, following work by Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. It would extend through 2035 a pause on new federal rules intended to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, giving the lobster industry more time before potentially costly restrictions take effect.
Cruz’s pledge came after Collins and King urged the Senate Commerce Committee in a September letter to advance the legislation.
“This pause is necessary to protect Maine’s lobster fishery, which is essential to the state’s economy and coastal communities,” the senators wrote. They cited estimates that the industry supports $2 billion in annual economic activity and more than 17,500 jobs.
Cruz credited Collins with helping advance the bill, saying her leadership had been instrumental in efforts to protect Maine lobstermen from burdensome regulations. He said he hoped the Senate could pass it without changes or further delay and send it to President Trump soon.
The visit comes as Collins and Cruz accuse Cantwell of previously opposing longer-term relief for Maine’s lobster industry. Cantwell and Jackson did not respond to requests for comment.
