Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks

Susan Collins

Republican · U.S. Senate · Maine

16%

Ranked #48 of 98 scored

Scored under 60%. Seat on the 2026 ballot.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, earns an F on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 19 scored Senate votes, Collins cast 3 for public lands and 16 against. The two closest: Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1), 50 to 50, and Nay on Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban (H.J.Res.140), 50 to 49. Collins's seat is on the ballot in November 2026.

Every scored vote: 19 of 19 U.S. Senate votes counted

Anti-lands
Lilly Fish and Wildlife and Parks (En Bloc) S.Res.817
En bloc confirmation of 74 nominees under S.Res.817, including Kevin Lilly as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, the official overseeing the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lilly, a Texas wealth manager, drew formal opposition from the National Parks Conservation Association, and senators from both parties questioned his lack of land management experience. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Yea · August 7, 2026 · Roll call 225, 51 to 47
Anti-lands
Pearce BLM Director (En Bloc) S.Res.690
En bloc confirmation of 49 nominees under S.Res.690, including Stevan Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, the agency managing 245 million acres of public land. As a congressman, Pearce repeatedly backed transferring or selling federal public land. Confirmed 46-43. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Yea · May 18, 2026 · Roll call 125, 46 to 43
Pro-lands
Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban H.J.Res.140
CRA resolution overturning the 20-year mining ban on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the most visited wilderness in America. Became Public Law 119-85.
Voted Nay · April 16, 2026 · Roll call 84, 50 to 49
Pro-lands
Opening Arctic Refuge to Drilling H.J.Res.131
CRA resolution overturning the 2024 environmental protections for oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, stripping safeguards from the 1.56-million-acre coastal plain calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd
Voted Nay · December 4, 2025 · Roll call 632, 49 to 45
Anti-lands
Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) H.J.Res.130
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's 2024 Buffalo Field Office resource management plan amendment in Wyoming, which made approximately 413,000 acres of federal coal unavailable for future leasing in the Powder River Basin.
Voted Yea · November 20, 2025 · Roll call 623, 51 to 43
Anti-lands
Opening Western Arctic to Drilling S.J.Res.80
CRA resolution nullifying the 2022 management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which had closed about half of the 23-million-acre Western Arctic reserve to new oil and gas leasing
Voted Yea · October 30, 2025 · Roll call 599, 52 to 45
Anti-lands
Overturning Central Yukon Protections (AK) H.J.Res.106
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's Central Yukon resource management plan in Alaska, which designated 21 areas of critical environmental concern covering approximately 3.6 million acres. The resolution removed a land-plan barrier to the Ambler Road, which would cross Gates of the Arctic National Preserve; the administration had restored the road's federal permits three days earlier. Became Public Law 119-50.
Voted Yea · October 9, 2025 · Roll call 560, 50 to 46
Anti-lands
Overturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) H.J.Res.104
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the Miles City Field Office in Montana, opening public lands to expanded industrial use
Voted Yea · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 549, 52 to 47
Anti-lands
Overturning North Dakota BLM Protections H.J.Res.105
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the North Dakota Field Office, removing protections from public lands across the state
Voted Yea · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 556, 50 to 45
Anti-lands
Boren USDA Under Secretary (En Bloc) S.Res.412
En bloc confirmation of 108 nominees under S.Res.412, including Michael Boren as USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, the official directly overseeing the U.S. Forest Service. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Yea · October 7, 2025 · Roll call 547, 51 to 47
Anti-lands
Nesvik USFWS Director PN25-35
Confirmed Brian Nesvik as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for endangered species protections and the National Wildlife Refuge System
Voted Yea · August 1, 2025 · Roll call 470, 54 to 43
Pro-lands
One Big Beautiful Bill H.R.1
Reconciliation bill mandating four Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain lease sales, five National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lease sales, a four-million-acre coal leasing mandate, coal royalty rate cuts from 12.5% to 7%, a 250-million-board-foot yearly increase in national forest timber sales through 2034, and rescinding Inflation Reduction Act conservation funding
Voted Nay · July 1, 2025 · Roll call 372, 50 to 50
Anti-lands
Vaden Deputy Agriculture PN12-43
Confirmed Stephen Vaden as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, second in command of the department that houses the U.S. Forest Service
Voted Yea · June 10, 2025 · Roll call 301, 51 to 44
Anti-lands
MacGregor Deputy Interior PN13-10
Confirmed Katharine MacGregor as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the department's chief operating officer, who led first-term efforts to shrink national monuments and expand drilling on public lands
Voted Yea · May 14, 2025 · Roll call 250, 54 to 40
Anti-lands
Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards H.J.Res.60
CRA resolution overturning the National Park Service rule limiting off-road vehicle use in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, reopening those routes to motorized use
Voted Yea · May 8, 2025 · Roll call 239, 50 to 43
Anti-lands
Preventing Public Lands Sell-Off S.Amdt.2107
Budget resolution amendment (H.Con.Res.14) to bar the use of proceeds from selling federal public land for deficit reduction, the Senate's recorded vote on public land sales ahead of the reconciliation bill
Voted Nay · April 5, 2025 · Roll call 181, 48 to 51
Anti-lands
Reinstating Fired Land Managers S.Amdt.540
Budget resolution amendment (S.Con.Res.7) creating a reserve fund to reinstate the federal employees fired from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service
Voted Nay · February 20, 2025 · Roll call 68, 48 to 52
Anti-lands
Rollins Agriculture Confirmation PN11-12
Confirmed Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service and 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands
Voted Yea · February 13, 2025 · Roll call 53, 72 to 28
Anti-lands
Burgum Confirmation PN11-3
Confirmed Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior, who oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, despite his stated agenda to expand oil and gas extraction on public land
Voted Yea · January 30, 2025 · Roll call 26, 80 to 17

Roll calls and tallies from senate.gov, read October 26, 2026. Which side counts as pro-lands is the scorecard's call on each vote (methodology). Provision ratings: none of these bills has an approved rating yet, so none is named here.

Call Senator Collins through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Open the full record in the scorecard

Public lands bills Collins sponsors or cosponsors

In the 119th Congress, Collins sponsors 0 and cosponsors 5 public lands bills.

S.Res.837 Designating the week of August 22 through August 30, 2026, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on August 6, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.5087 Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act of 2026
Original cosponsor · Signed on July 22, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.Res.449 Designating the week beginning on October 12, 2025, as "National Wildlife Refuge Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on October 9, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.Res.180 Designating the week of April 19 through April 27, 2025, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 10, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1279 Redesignate the Hulls Cove Visitor Center at Acadia National Park as the George J. Mitchell Visitor Center
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 3, 2025 · Not yet rated

Bills and cosponsors from the congress.gov API, read September 7, 2026. A bill is rated only when a named person approves a rating that quotes its provision; none of these has one yet.

Collins's committees

Senate Committee on Appropriations (Chairman)
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Department of Defense; Department of Homeland Security (Ex Officio); Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (Ex Officio); Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (Ex Officio); Energy and Water Development (Ex Officio); Financial Services and General Government; Legislative Branch (Ex Officio); Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (Ex Officio); Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Primary Health and Retirement Security
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Committee seats from unitedstates/congress-legislators, read July 3, 2026.

Public lands in Maine

34 federal land units lie in or reach into Maine. The park with a More Than Just Parks guide: Acadia National Park.

Listed park guides first, then by size.

Acadia National Park 38,790 acres
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument 89,562 acres
White Mountain National Forest 42,546 acres
Appalachian National Scenic Trail 32,624 acres
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge 29,680 acres
Massabesic Experimental Forest 19,179 acres
Redington Township Defense Department · 12,447 acres
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge 11,615 acres
Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge 11,239 acres
Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness 11,235 acres
White Mountain Purchase Unit Forest Service · 7,677 acres
Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge 7,337 acres
Caribou - Speckled Ext Roadless Area 5,988 acres
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge 5,683 acres
Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge 4,948 acres
Baring Wilderness Area 4,738 acres
Naval Air Station Brunswick ME Defense Department · 3,137 acres
Edmunds Wilderness Area 2,710 acres
Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge 1,726 acres
Cross Island (79-347) Proposed Wilderness Area 1,357 acres
Bois Bubert Island Proposed Wilderness Area 1,035 acres
Carlton Pond Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,034 acres
National Guard Hollis Plains Training Site Defense Department · 411 acres
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Defense Department · 286 acres
Bangor International Airport Defense Department · 271 acres
National Guard Bog Brook Training Site Defense Department · 208 acres
National Guard Bangor Training Site Defense Department · 206 acres
National Guard Auburn TrainiNational Guard Site Defense Department · 176 acres
Edmunds Red Spruce Rna Fish and Wildlife Service · 164 acres
Bertrand Smith Rna Fish and Wildlife Service · 159 acres
Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery Fish and Wildlife Service · 136 acres
Green Lake National Fish Hatchery Fish and Wildlife Service · 130 acres
Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge 122 acres
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site 7 acres

Drilling, mining and logging on record in Maine: 54 timber sales (913 acres).

Threatened public lands in Maine

Katahdin Woods and Waters

Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the state's districts in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 23, 2026; acres are each unit's full size, and units overlap, so they are not added up. Easements on private land are left out. Fires from NIFC; mining claims, leases and timber sales from BLM and Forest Service records; read October 26, 2026.

Who funds Collins on lands issues

PACs and other committees gave Collins's campaign $6,184,726 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave $257,200, and conservation PACs gave nothing.

Cycle	All PACs and committees	Oil and gas	Mining and coal	Timber	Conservation
2019-20	$3,183,411	$105,200	$10,000	$34,000	none
2021-22	$262,500	none	none	$3,500	none
2023-24	$474,800	$7,000	none	$4,000	none
2025-26	$6,184,726	$66,500	none	$27,000	none

Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC S6ME00159), net of refunds, read October 26, 2026. Industry is the giving PAC's industry in the More Than Just Parks record. A contribution says who gave, not why anyone voted as they did.

How Collins compares

The median senator scores 5%. Collins scores 16% and ranks #48 of 98.

What to ask Collins

Washington office: 413 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Phone (202) 224-2523. Write to Collins · Official site

From Collins's own record:

Why did you vote Yea on Lilly Fish and Wildlife and Parks (En Bloc) (S.Res.817)?
Why did you vote Yea on Pearce BLM Director (En Bloc) (S.Res.690)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) (H.J.Res.130)?
Why did you vote Yea on Opening Western Arctic to Drilling (S.J.Res.80)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Central Yukon Protections (AK) (H.J.Res.106)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) (H.J.Res.104)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning North Dakota BLM Protections (H.J.Res.105)?
Why did you vote Yea on Boren USDA Under Secretary (En Bloc) (S.Res.412)?
Why did you vote Yea on Nesvik USFWS Director (PN25-35)?
Why did you vote Yea on Vaden Deputy Agriculture (PN12-43)?
Why did you vote Yea on MacGregor Deputy Interior (PN13-10)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards (H.J.Res.60)?
Why did you vote Nay on Preventing Public Lands Sell-Off (S.Amdt.2107)?
Why did you vote Nay on Reinstating Fired Land Managers (S.Amdt.540)?
Why did you vote Yea on Rollins Agriculture Confirmation (PN11-12)?
Why did you vote Yea on Burgum Confirmation (PN11-3)?

Offices and phones from the Senate and House member feeds and unitedstates/congress-legislators, checked October 22, 2026.

Questions people ask

How did Susan Collins vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?

Susan Collins voted Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1) on July 1, 2025. The Senate vote was 50 to 50, and the scorecard counts Nay as the vote for public lands.

Is Susan Collins up for election in 2026?

Yes. Susan Collins's Senate seat from Maine is on the ballot in November 2026. Collins's grade on the 19 scored Senate votes so far is an F.

What public lands are in Maine?

34 federal land units lie in or reach into Maine. The largest are Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (89,562 acres), White Mountain National Forest (42,546 acres) and Acadia National Park (38,790 acres).