Natural Resources and Rural Development

The Beaver State was built by Americans who relied on the land for their livelihood. Natural resource industries like farming, forestry, and salmon fishing remain integral to Oregon’s economy today.  Our state has also long been a destination for Americans looking to experience the great outdoors.  Oregon’s protected public lands provide valuable habitats, supply clean water, and generate jobs through sustainable harvests, recreation, and tourism. Preserving our natural resources and making smart decisions about economic development will help spur rural growth and ensure that future generations can enjoy Oregon’s wild places and public lands while putting people to work.

Update: Oregon Delegation Announces Over $7 Million for Federal Fishery Disaster Declaration  

 The federal funding will help ocean commercial fishermen in Oregon recover from significant economic losses in 2018, 2019, and 2020 from declining salmon populations.  Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Merkley, Grijalva, Colleagues Call to Center Environmental Justice and Climate Impacts of The Dakota Access Pipeline; Increase Transparency and Tribal Consultation in Final Environmental Impact Statement

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) led colleagues in a bicameral letter to the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE or Corps) expressing their concerns with the agency’s climate analysis in the court-ordered Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Dakota Access Pipeline

Merkley Applauds Strong Administration Action on Clean Hydrogen

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and one of the Senate’s leading voices on climate, released the following statement on the Biden administration’s new hydrogen rules: “I applaud the Biden administration for taking this important step to ensure that

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