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, Senate and House Colleagues Fight for Children’s Fundamental Right to a Healthy, Livable Planet
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led eight Senators in the introduction of a new resolution to protect the fundamental rights of the nation’s children to a safe, habitable environment in the face of climate chaos’ increasingly destructive and deadly impacts. The resolution—led in the U.S. House of
Merkley, Sheehy Unveil New Bipartisan Effort to Boost Rural Economies, Wildfire Resiliency
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Montana’s U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy today introduced the bipartisan Supporting American Wood and Mill Infrastructure with Loans for Longevity (SAWMILL) Act. The brand-new legislation supports mills in Oregon, Montana, and across the nation by unlocking federal dollars to support mills retooling or
Merkley, Hoyle Fight Back Against Trump Funding Cuts with Renewed Effort to Reduce Wildfire Risk, Boost Economic Opportunities in Forest-Dependent Communities
Washington, D.C. – As the Trump Administration illegally cuts and withholds funding for wildfire mitigation projects, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) teamed up to introduce the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act in Congress. This legislation would provide dedicated federal support to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in Oregon and across the West, while
Merkley, Murray, Heinrich, Klobuchar Demand Immediate Halt to Forest Service Reorganization, Funding Cuts
Washington, D.C. – Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Senator Merkley Responds to Student Letters on Climate, LGBTQ+ Rights, and More
Senator Merkley responded to letters from students at South Eugene High School and encouraged young people to stay civically engaged and keep speaking out to have a voice in the big decisions that affect their lives.
Merkley, Panetta Lead the Charge to Protect Monarch Butterflies
Lawmakers also introduce bipartisan resolution marking National Pollinator Week Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) today teamed up to introduce the Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat (MONARCH) Act. The bicameral bill would help prevent the extinction of the Western Monarch butterfly and
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