PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 26, 2022
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has rejected a unanimous consent request to confirm a top federal regulatory official over her concerns about new lobstering restrictions intended to help protect endangered right whales from extinction. On Wednesday, Collins blocked the Senate confirmation of Jainey Kumar Bavishi, director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency, to serve as an assistant secretary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Such nominations are usually handled via unanimous consent.