Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said his committee will take up legislation next month to extend a moratorium on new North Atlantic right whale protections. Cruz credited Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, with helping advance the bill. Collins is in a competitive reelection race against Democrat Troy Jackson, and the story was published five days before the election.
Collins asked the committee in a September letter to take up the bill, which she sent with Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine. Cruz said Thursday on X that he hoped the bill could move forward without changes or delay. The House has already passed the bill. The moratorium is set to expire Dec. 31, 2028. The bill would extend it for seven more years.
Congress first imposed the pause in late 2022 after a 2021 Biden administration opinion recommended tougher rules to protect endangered right whales from fishing lines. The Maine Lobstermen's Association said the lobster industry supports about $2 billion in yearly economic activity and 17,500 jobs.