The carbon pollution in our atmosphere from burning fossil fuels like oil and coal is waging a direct and unchecked assault on our farming, fishing and forests – the cornerstones of Oregon’s rural economy.
When Jeff was young, his dad worked as a millwright. He spent his childhood in Southern Oregon timber communities, where timber jobs were what put food on the table and kept roofs over folks’ head. Fires and insect infestations are already killing trees at alarming rates across the Northwest, and climate change will only make these threats to our forests worse. Other iconic Oregon industries like our coastal oyster hatcheries are threatened by ocean acidification, and fishing and farming alike are facing threats from declining snowpacks and increased drought.
Congress needs to wake up. Climate change is real, and it’s bad for our economy and jobs, especially in rural Oregon and the places that most depend on our abundant natural resources.
Merkley, Hyde-Smith, Bentz, Thompson Launch New Bipartisan Effort to Promote Renewable Fuels, Boost Wildfire Resiliency
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) partnered with U.S. Representatives Cliff Bentz (R-OR-02) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02) to introduce the Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act. This new bipartisan, bicameral legislation proposes to modernize the definition for renewable biomass under the Renewable Fuel Standard, establishing
Wyden, Merkley Ask State Data Center Advisory Committee to Consider Multiple Issues Raised by Oregonians
Oregon senators: “Several issues have been raised by constituents regarding responsible data center development with our offices, ranging from local to state to federal jurisdiction.” Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote Gov. Tina Kotek’s data center advisory committee to convey concerns both senators have
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Press Trump Administration to Reinstate EPA Employees Attacked for Exercising their Right to Free Speech
Senators’ effort comes on one-year anniversary of “Declaration of Dissent” letter and follows recent revelations that EPA legal counsel advised against disciplinary action due to employees’ First Amendment rights Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues in pressing the Trump administration to reverse disciplinary actions
Merkley, Panetta Announce Bicameral Resolution Marking National Pollinator Week 2026
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced a bicameral resolution to recognize the importance of pollinators to ecosystem health and agriculture in the United States. The resolution designates June 22 through June 28, 2026, as “National Pollinator Week,” to emphasize the vital
Merkley, Murkowski Secure Commitment to Preserve U.S. Ocean Monitoring Systems
Washington, D.C. – Following public outrage over the dismantling of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced the NSF was pausing its planned removal of the OOI’s sensors. NSF’s decision came after Merkley and Murkowski passed a Senate
Merkley, Murkowski Lead the Charge to Block the Dismantling of One-Of-A-Kind Ocean Monitoring Network
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took to the Senate floor to successfully pass their bipartisan legislation that pauses the reckless dismantling of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a complex system of 900 ocean monitoring instruments that provides real-time,
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