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, Dexter: Congress Must Protect Farmworkers from Hazardous Wildfire Smoke, Extreme Heat
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter (OR-03) today announced they introduced the Farmworker Smoke and Excessive Heat Protection Act. The bicameral bill would put safeguards in place for farmworkers facing the dangers of wildfire smoke and extreme weather. “Climate chaos is creating hotter, longer summers and leading
Merkley Slams EXIM Bank for Failing to Provide Congressional Notification of Mozambique LNG Project
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations—condemned the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) for its recent decision to approve a $4.7 billion loan for a liquified fossil gas (also known as LNG) project in Mozambique
KAINE, CURTIS, AND MERKLEY INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO ADDRESS CRIMES IN BRAZILIAN AMAZON AND STRENGTHEN REGIONAL STABILITY
Bill would address organized crime, deforestation, and violence in the Brazilian Amazon WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Curtis (R-UT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, introduced the Strengthening the Rule of Law in the Brazilian Amazon
Forty-One Senators Call on Appropriators to Reject Anti-Environment Poison Pills
The lawmakers warn that policy riders harming environmental and public health would derail the Senate’s ability to pass spending bills Washington, DC – Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior,
Merkley Announces Committee Action to Boost Oregon’s Wildfire Resiliency, Water Infrastructure, and Climate Investments
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—as the Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—announced he helped advance critical investments to strengthen forest health and wildfire resiliency, protect public lands and the environment, boost important programs for Tribes, and support critical projects for Oregon communities. The federal funding comes
Merkley Remarks at Senate Appropriations Committee Markup of Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) delivered the following remarks as the Senate Appropriations Committee met for a full committee markup of the fiscal year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Senator Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below: “Thank you,
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