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, Wyden Announce $28.5 Million to Strengthen and Defend Oregon Communities from Wildfire Threats
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today $28,512,515 is coming to Oregon for six projects across the state to help make communities more resilient to severe wildfires. The federal investments from the U.S. Forest Service and mandated by Congress under the Community Wildfire Defense
Wyden, Merkley Call on Trump Administration to Back Off Plan to Gut Vehicle Emissions Standards
Current greenhouse gas emission standards set to be eliminated by Trump administration are projected to prevent 25,000 premature deaths and save drivers $6,000 over the next five years Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today said that they are joining nine of their Senate colleagues in
Whitehouse, Van Hollen, Merkley Probe ExxonMobil’s Guyana Offshore Oil Contract and the Company’s U.S. Tax Liability
ExxonMobil may have used American taxpayer funds to subsidize its foreign oil production, which it does in partnership with a Chinese state-owned company Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) sent a letter today to ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods asking for
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Announce Bill to Restore NOAA’s Extreme Weather Database, Keep Americans Informed of Natural Disasters
Bill would reverse the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to terminate database which has recorded cost of natural disasters since 1980 Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would reverse the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to terminate the National
Merkley, Dexter, Oregon Delegation Sound the Alarm Over EPA’s Proposal to Declassify Greenhouse Gases as Public Health Threat
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter (OR-03) led a letter with their Oregon delegation colleagues—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in raising the alarm over the threat of the
Ranking Members Merkley, Heinrich, Klobuchar, Murray Demand Answers from Forest Service Chief on How Taxpayer Dollars are Being Used to Fund Workforce Reduction Programs
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, was joined by Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Amy