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

Senator Susan Collins has faced criticism for her muted response to recent federal climate policy rollbacks, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) cancellation of $7 billion in grants for solar panels aimed at low-income households. The grants, part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), were expected to benefit around 20,000 households in Maine. While Collins described the termination as “abrupt” and “unfortunate,” she largely framed her opposition around the partisan nature of the IRA’s passage, noting that no Republicans supported the legislation. Collins herself opposed the 2022 climate-focused law, which many view as the most significant U.S. climate legislation to date. Collins’ stance reflects a broader pattern of limited public opposition to federal actions that have rolled back or stalled climate and clean energy initiatives. She did not vocally challenge the Department of Energy’s controversial “critical review” of climate science, which included climate skeptics, nor did she oppose the EPA’s repeal of the endangerment finding that underpins greenhouse gas regulations. Additionally, Collins has remained silent on the Biden administration’s efforts to block offshore wind projects, including those in New England, a region that could benefit from expanded renewable energy development. Environmental advocates and climate policy experts have expressed frustration with Collins’ approach. Jesse Lee, a senior advisor to Climate Power and former Biden administration staffer, described her silence on these issues as “deafening.” The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) assigned Collins a 31 percent rating on their 2025 scorecard, continuing a trend of low scores on environmental votes seen in her previous election cycle in 2020. As Collins campaigns for a sixth Senate term, her record on climate issues remains a focal point for both supporters and critics amid growing public concern over climate change and clean energy policy.