Maine’s congressional delegation has returned to Capitol Hill after a monthlong break this week hoping that the politically charged atmosphere leading up to the November elections won’t keep them from getting important bills passed.

The unresolved legislation that would have the greatest impact on Maine, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, has passed the House but faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Maine’s two Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, said they haven’t decided how they’ll vote on the controversial bill.

It’s just one pressing issue waiting to be resolved amid all the politicking over the next two months.

“I almost think we’ll be lucky to do the business that we have to do, which is to pass the appropriations bills” to keep the government running, said Rep. Tom Allen.

“It’s a question of whether the policy or the politics will prevail in the final weeks,” said Sen. Olympia Snowe. “The election could work for us or against us.”

Democrats trying to win control of Congress have already launched a campaign against what they call the do-nothing, Republican-controlled Congress. Republican leaders have responded by showing more willingness to compromise on increasing spending on education and anti-crime programs and increasing the minimum wage by $1 to $6.15 over two years.

The Conservation and Reinvestment Act is being opposed by critics who say it would erode the tax base in some communities and turn parts of northern and central Maine into a national park.

The bill would give Maine $36 million each year to buy public lands, conserve wildlife and coastal areas and preserve historic landmarks and scenic landscapes.

Snowe and Collins also have to decide whether to support President Clinton’s landmark trade agreement with China, which passed the House earlier this year.

The United States would permanently normalize trade relations with China rather than reviewing them every year, in return for China cutting tariffs and opening its markets to a wide range of goods and services once it joins the World Trade Organization.

In other issues, Republicans will try to override Clinton’s vetoes of bills to cut taxes for married couples and repeal the federal estate tax.

Democrats Allen and Rep. John Baldacci say they want to sustain Clinton’s vetoes because the Republican-sponsored cuts are too expensive and aren’t targeted to the middle class.

“I’m for reducing taxes, but we’ve got to do it in a balanced way,” Baldacci said.

Allen has spoken often this year about the need to pass legislation reducing the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly. But he concedes it’s unlikely to happen this year because of the two parties’ disagreements about how to do it.

“Miracles can happen, but the issue is too difficult,” Allen said. “There’s too big of an ideological divide to get something done.”