The Beaver State was built by Americans who relied on the land for their livelihood. Natural resource industries like farming, forestry, and salmon fishing remain integral to Oregon’s economy today. Our state has also long been a destination for Americans looking to experience the great outdoors. Oregon’s protected public lands provide valuable habitats, supply clean water, and generate jobs through sustainable harvests, recreation, and tourism. Preserving our natural resources and making smart decisions about economic development will help spur rural growth and ensure that future generations can enjoy Oregon’s wild places and public lands while putting people to work.
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $31 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive a combined total of $31,027,890 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2025. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with
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)
Huffman, Cohen, Merkley Introduce Bill to Protect Families and Pets from Dangerous Devices
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Steve Cohen (TN-09), along with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), re-introduced legislation that would ban hazardous cyanide bombs from public lands. Their bill, Canyon’s Law, would protect families, pets, and wildlife from dangerous M-44 ejectors – spring-loaded devices made up of sodium
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
Wyden, Merkley, Crapo, Risch Celebrate Senate Passage of Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization
Washington D.C.— U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., along with U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, both R-Idaho, celebrated today’s unanimous Senate passage of their legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS) through Fiscal Year 2026. “This is a
Merkley: Trump’s Withdrawal from Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement Fails Our Communities
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration withdrawing from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (RCBA): “The Columbia River is the lifeblood of our region, and President Trump’s outrageous approach to the basin will leave our communities worse off. We have