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.
Whitehouse, Sanders, Merkley, Fletcher, Cleaver Lead More than 80 Colleagues in Filing Amicus Brief Urging Court to Restore Illegally Terminated Solar for All Funding
“EPA has given no reason why its unlawful actions to unwind Congressional appropriations should stand,” wrote the lawmakers Washington, D.C .— U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW); Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and U.S. Representatives Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-07)
Merkley, Salinas, Colleagues Champion Strong Federal Support for Regenerative Agriculture
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led their colleagues—including Senator Ron Wyden, Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and Val Hoyle (OR-04)—in reintroducing the Soil Conservation And Regeneration Education (Soil CARE) Act. Their bicameral bill would create a training program and curriculum to ensure
Merkley, Rounds, Panetta, Moore, Carbajal Champion Bipartisan Effort to Strengthen Monarch and Pollinator Highways
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and South Dakota’s U.S. Senator Mike Rounds partnered with U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Blake Moore (R-UT-01), and Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) to introduce new bipartisan legislation to support pollinator-friendly habitats along roads and highways in states across America. The Roadside Pollinator Program Amendments Act builds
Merkley, Wyden Deliver Over $100 Million for Critical Community Projects Funding Across Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured over $100 million in federal investments for essential community-initiated projects in nearly every Oregon county in both Fiscal Year 2026 packages that recently cleared Congress. Both Merkley and Wyden hold a town hall in each Oregon county
Ranking Member Merkley: Interior-Environment Funding Bill Boosts Wildfire Resiliency, Water Infrastructure, and Climate Investments in Oregon and Across the Nation
Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Interior-Environment Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Appropriations bill in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 82-15: “Oregonians turned out in record numbers during my town halls last year and delivered
Rep. Levin & Sen. Merkley Introduce New Bill to Prevent Taxpayer Dollars from Reimbursing Oil Companies in Venezuela
Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) introduced the Protecting Taxpayers from Risky Investments in Venezuela Act to prevent American taxpayer dollars from being used to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure without Congressional approval. Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced the Senate companion of this bill. Following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Trump
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