Maine Senate Race, Climate and Environment; Public Power and Industry Pushback; The Carbon Wave and more.

The closely watched race for US Senate in Maine is pitting two environmentally concerned candidates against each other. Not only do Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson both have fairly similar green and climate views, they’re from the same rural county and both have roots in the lumber industry that’s so important to the state.

Also, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, public power advocates have battled since 2018 to take electricity non-profit, and hope to win a referendum vote in November. But strong opposition from dividend-paying DTE Energy is being stoked by an alleged misinformation campaign with claims of higher costs of going public from what seems to be at least one citizen group that is in fact funded in part by DTE.

And in 2022, President Biden’s signature climate bill appeared doomed in the 50-50 divided Senate when West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat with close ties to the fossil fuel industry, declined to pledge his critical vote. But negotiations restarted in secret, and the largest climate package in US history became law. Leah Stokes’ 2026 book The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet tells the gripping story of how the Inflation Reduction Act came together and cleared the final hurdles.

---

We want to hear from you! What’s motivating you to vote in the November 3rd midterm elections? What questions do you have about how the midterms could shape climate action, species protection, clean air for public health, and more?

Write us at comments@loe.org or send us a voice note (learn how at the end of this episode). And we might play your comment on the air!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices