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 $52 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 $52,016,022 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2026. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with
Merkley Launches Investigation into Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Surrounding Renovation of the Reflecting Pool
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—launched an investigation into the Trump Administration’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, which has so far reportedly cost American taxpayers more
Merkley, Panetta Announce Bicameral Resolution Marking National Pollinator Week 2026
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced a bicameral resolution to recognize the importance of pollinators to ecosystem health and agriculture in the United States. The resolution designates June 22 through June 28, 2026, as “National Pollinator Week,” to emphasize the vital
Merkley, Murkowski Secure Commitment to Preserve U.S. Ocean Monitoring Systems
Washington, D.C. – Following public outrage over the dismantling of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced the NSF was pausing its planned removal of the OOI’s sensors. NSF’s decision came after Merkley and Murkowski passed a Senate
King, Merkley, Colleagues Call to Terminate Illegal Plans for “Triumphal Arch”
Key legislators cite federal laws that prohibit construction without congressional approval WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Subcommittee on National Parks, is leading a group of his Congressional colleagues in objecting to the Trump Administration’s proposed plan to illegally construct
Merkley, Murkowski Lead the Charge to Block the Dismantling of One-Of-A-Kind Ocean Monitoring Network
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took to the Senate floor to successfully pass their bipartisan legislation that pauses the reckless dismantling of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a complex system of 900 ocean monitoring instruments that provides real-time,
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