Tag: Natural Resources and Rural Development

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Merkley Statement on House & Senate Negotiated Interior-Environment FY 2026 Appropriations Bill

January 6, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, the Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement after the House and Senate negotiated text of the Interior-Environment FY 2026 Appropriations bill was released: “This bill is far superior to a Continuing Resolution for funding the core programs

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to End Staffing Crisis at Fish and Wildlife Service, Warn of Devastating Impacts to Ecosystems and Public Lands

December 22, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)—the top Democrat overseeing funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)—and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)—former chairman and current senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources—joined their colleagues in urging the administration to immediately address and reverse the

Merkley, Wyden Announce $2.2 Million in Federal Support for Coastal Erosion Work in Lincoln County

December 19, 2025

Funds will support MidCoast Watersheds Council’s work in Siletz and Yaquina Estuaries Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is awarding $2,210,835 to the MidCoast Watersheds Council to restore 125 acres of tidal wetlands and 6.2 miles

Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Celebrate SRS Reauthorization for Rural Oregon Counties

December 19, 2025

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today celebrated the signing of their bipartisan Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act into law, reauthorizing funding for the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS) through FY 2026 and providing lapsed payments to counties in Oregon and nationwide for FY 2024

ALSOBROOKS, CRAMER, MERKLEY, CURTIS INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO REAUTHORIZE WILDLIFE CROSSINGS PROGRAM

December 18, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Senator John Curtis (R-UT) announced legislation reauthorizing the Wildlife Crossings Program. This program at the Federal Highway Administration is a competitive grant program with the goal of reducing Wildlife Vehicle Collisions (WVCs) while improving habitat

Merkley, Marshall Launch New Bipartisan Effort to Unlock Federal Support for Hazardous Cleanup Following Wildfires

December 16, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Kansas’ U.S. Senator Roger Marshall introduced the brand-new Post-Wildfire Environmental Assistance Act. The bipartisan bill provides a straightforward solution for communities in Oregon and across the nation to access federal aid for hazardous material cleanup following a wildfire. “Fighting wildfires

Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle Secure Written Commitment from Coast Guard Acting Commandant Lunday that Newport Helicopter Will Remain

December 12, 2025

Follows Merkley placing his hold on Lunday’s nomination to lead Coast Guard, joint efforts to advocate for this essential rescue helicopter Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Senator Ron Wyden and Congresswoman Val Hoyle (OR-04), announced that they secured written commitments from Admiral Kevin Lunday,

Wyden, Merkley Applaud House Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Reauthorize Secure Rural Schools Program

December 9, 2025

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today applauded the House passage of his bipartisan legislation introduced with Senators Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and James Risch, R-Idaho, to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program and ensure rural, forested communities across Oregon and the country receive funding

Merkley Statement on Trump’s Farmer Bailout to Fix Crisis Created by Trump

December 8, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the unveil of a $12 billion bailout package for U.S. farmers who have been hurt by President Trump’s reckless and haphazard tariffs, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement. Due to the Trump Administration’s policies, farmers across

Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle Announce Newport Helicopter Returns to the Community

December 4, 2025

Senators obtain commitment directly from Coast Guard during a call today Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04), today announced that Admiral Kevin Lunday, Acting Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, committed to the Senators on a call that an