{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senators-collins-king-urge-senate-commerce-committee-to-promptly-consider-bill-to-extend-pause-on-right-whale-regulations", "Senators Collins, King Urge Senate Commerce Committee to Promptly Consider Bill to Extend Pause on Right Whale Regulations", "2026-09-15", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "ME", "Susan M. Collins", "C001035", "www.collins.senate.gov", "collins", "https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King wrote to Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, respectively, urging them to advance the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act in their committee as soon as possible. The bipartisan legislation, which was introduced by U.S. Representatives Jared Golden (D-ME-02) and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), recently passed the House of Representatives and would extend the current pause on new North Atlantic right whale regulations through 2035.\n\n\u201cThis pause is necessary to protect Maine\u2019s lobster fishery, which is essential to the state\u2019s economy and coastal communities. According to the Maine Lobstermen\u2019s Association, the lobster industry supports an estimated $2 billion in annual economic activity and more than 17,500 jobs,\u201d Senators Collins and King wrote.\n\n\u201cThe Maine Department of Marine Resources has used congressionally appropriated funds to establish a right whale research and monitoring program that is now in its third year of data collection,\u201d they continued. \u201cThe program includes aerial, vessel-based, and acoustic whale monitoring. This work is ongoing, and extending the pause would allow it to continue and provide scientists and regulators with better data to inform future management decisions.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is critical that any future regulatory actions appropriately balance protecting North Atlantic right whales with the economic and practical realities facing Maine\u2019s lobster industry. We ask that you work to advance H.R. 9436 as soon as possible,\u201d the Senators concluded.\n\nClick here to read their letter in full.\n\n+++\n\nIn 2022, Maine\u2019s lobster fishery faced sweeping new federal regulatory requirements that relied on flawed assumptions and an inadequate scientific record. The requirements threatened severe economic consequences for Maine\u2019s lobster industry without a sufficiently sound scientific basis. The Maine Delegation responded by securing a provision in the 2022 year-end appropriations law that prevented additional restrictions through December 31, 2028. Extending the regulatory pause through 2035 would allow this work to continue and help ensure that any future regulatory decisions are based on the best available science and a more accurate assessment of the risks posed by Maine\u2019s lobster fishery.\n\nSince the enactment of this pause, Senator Collins has secured more than $80 million in funding for North Atlantic right whale research and monitoring through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee. This research supports Maine\u2019s lobster industry by improving the quality of the data used to inform federal regulations.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-16T09:43:13Z", "2026-09-16T09:44:22Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senators-collins-king-urge-senate-commerce-committee-to-promptly-consider-bill-to-extend-pause-on-right-whale-regulations"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0033771395683289, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}