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 $500,000 for CRITFC to Advance Salmon-Friendly Clean Energy Efforts in the Columbia River Basin
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is receiving $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Future Grants (EFG) Program to advance river and energy system models adapted to the Columbia River Basin that
Merkley, Schakowsky Lead Colleagues to File Court Brief Supporting Landmark Youth Climate Lawsuit
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) today led their colleagues in filing a brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to support the Juliana v. United States youth plaintiffs, 11 of whom are Oregonians from Eugene, Beaverton, Bend, Roseburg, and Oakland
Merkley, Huffman Lead 30+ Senate & House Colleagues to Urge Biden Administration to Embrace Strong Action, Combat Plastic Pollution
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) led their colleagues today in a letter to encourage U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to push for decisive measures in addressing plastic production at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC)’s current session next month. The lawmakers
Merkley, Huffman, Colleagues Urge EXIM BANK to Not Fund Expansion of Oil and Gas Drilling in Bahrain
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley & U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) led their colleagues in sending a letter to the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) Board of Directors to urge EXIM not to move forward providing a long-term loan or financial guarantee over $100 million
Merkley, Colleagues: No More Rubber-Stamping Oil and Gas Projects Through Nationwide Permit 12
Army Corps of Engineers Announced Intention to Review NWP 12 Senator[s]: “We urge you to complete your review and not wait until NWP 12 is supposed to expire in 2026…” Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie
Merkley on 2024 State of the Union Address: America is Strong When Working Families Succeed
Washington, D.C. – Tonight, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following response to President Joe Biden’s annual State of the Union Address to Congress and Americans:
English 
Spanish