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.
Wyden, Merkley, Hoyle Announce Nearly $2.5 Million to Oregon State University for Marine Energy Research
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representative Val Hoyle today announced a federal investment of nearly $2.5 million for Oregon State University to develop and test marine energy devices that are key in the climate crisis battle. “There is huge potential to build an even stronger
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $10 Million for Critical Conservation and Restoration Projects in Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today a total of $10,105,326 in funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)’s America the Beautiful Challenge for four projects that will boost essential ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts in the state. “Our delicate ecosystems, waterways, and
Merkley, Whitehouse, Welch, Huffman: at INC-5, U.S. Must Champion Agreement to Address Full Life Cycle of Plastics
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—joined by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02)—today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory calling for the United States to use its influence
Merkley: Global Plastics Crisis Requires Global Action
Senator traveling to Busan, South Korea, to help shape global plastic pollution agreement Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a leading voice in Congress on the urgent need to address the plastic pollution crisis—today issued the following statement before traveling to the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in Busan,
Merkley, Wyden: ODOT Receives $31.9 Million to Slash Pollution from Construction Projects
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is receiving $31,933,577 to use cleaner construction materials on federally-funded projects statewide. The funding comes from the historic Inflation Reduction Act’s Low Carbon Transportation Materials Discretionary Grant Program, which supports
Whitehouse and Transatlantic Climate Leaders Call for Lobbying Disclosure Requirements and Conflict-of-Interest Policies to Prevent Industry Obstruction
Ahead of INC-5, 9 members of Congress and European Parliament urge international leaders to restrict industry influence on negotiations Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Peter Welch (D-VT), along with U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Member of the European Parliament Paul Canfin, led
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