A new program aimed at improving the health of imperiled salt lakes across the American West is moving forward, thanks to legislation passed by Congress this week. Saline lakes are vitally important for migratory birds, but much of this habitat is disappearing, including Utah’s Great Salt Lake and Oregon’s Lake
Two bills to provide additional protections for pregnant workers and breastfeeding people were included in the $1.7 trillion federal government spending package passed by Congress this week. The changes are a “monumental and historic step forward” that will make a huge difference for low-income workers, particularly women of color, one
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Friday critical investments in housing, health care, mental health, education, and transportation services across the state as part of the year-end funding package just approved by Congress. The legislation passed in the Senate and also was passed Friday by
Ten hours before the spending bill that funds the Indian Health Service was set to expire, potentially leaving more than 2.5 million Native Americans without health care access, Congress came through with a historic win for Indian Country. On Thursday, Dec. 22, the Senate passed President Joe Biden’s $1.7 trillion
Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced on Thursday that homeless veterans in the city of Salem as well as in Linn, Benton and Lane counties will receive a total of almost $700,000 in federal vouchers to help them secure affordable housing, according to a joint press release from the
Nearly 30 U.S. lawmakers – including three from Oregon and four Republicans – called on President Joe Biden to back ending the listing of cannabis as a controlled substance. “Descheduling,” as it’s known, would amount to legalization, something the president has yet to embrace. The call, in a letter organized
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Wednesday they secured funding for essential community projects across Oregon in Congress’s fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations package, which is expected to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by President Biden this week. With the
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Indian Health Service will provide $23 million to full fund a new water treatment plant at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The agencies announced the formal agreement in a news release Tuesday, Dec. 20.. IHS obligated $13,601,000 toward the project and EPA provided
From Environmental Health News A group of 24 U.S. senators and representatives are calling on the Biden administration to set legal standards to reduce plastic pollution at home and abroad. The letter, sent on December 20, points to the recently introduced “Protecting Communities from Plastics Act” bill, which would require a
PORTLAND, Ore. – Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced in a joint statement that Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) is expected to receive $3.17 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIIH) to study the effectiveness of different harm reduction strategies at preventing overdoses and ways
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