Tag: Natural Resources and Rural Development

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Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Press Trump Administration on Proposed Forest Research and Development Facility Closures, Demand Transparency

August 14, 2026

Portland, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz to provide Congress with a full breakdown of the Service’s decision to potentially close up to 57 U.S. Forest Service Research and Development (R&D) Facilities, including the Portland-based Pacific

Merkley, Oregon Lawmakers: NOAA Must Keep Its Fleet in Newport

August 11, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led Oregon Congressional Delegation members—including Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—to urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and General Services Administration (GSA) to renew the NOAA

Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Administration Drop Effort to Weaken Health Protections for Millions of Americans

August 6, 2026

New EPA rule would roll back federal protections for clean drinking water Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight said today they have joined colleagues to demand the

Merkley, Padilla, Shaheen, Schiff, Rosen, Cortez Masto, Heinrich, Wyden, Klobuchar: CFTC Must Rein in Wildfire Bets on Prediction Markets

August 3, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to press the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on its plans to

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Restore Funding for Energy Projects That Were Illegally Canceled and Politically Targeted

July 31, 2026

The letter follows an admission from the Trump Administration that the decision to cancel energy project grants in states that did not vote for Trump was “based solely” on politics Senators: “It is an attack on the rule of law and the basic democratic principle that the federal government serves

Merkley, Murkowski Continue Oversight of Restoring NSF Ocean Monitoring Systems

July 30, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) pressed the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide an update on the agency’s plans to redeploy vital Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) sensors. The bipartisan letter follows the Senators securing a commitment from NSF to pause its planned

Wyden, Merkley Sound Alarm on USDA Rural Development Reorganization

July 29, 2026

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today said they joined their Senate Democratic colleagues Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, in raising strong concerns about

Ranking Member Merkley Presses Secretary Burgum on Misusing National Park Service Funding for America 250

July 29, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR)—the lead Democrat overseeing funding for the U.S. Department of the Interior—demanded Interior Secretary Doug Burgum provide urgent answers about the use of National Park Service (NPS) federal funds during America’s 250th celebration. Merkley’s inquiry follows the Trump

As Wildfires Burn 1+ Million Acres Across Oregon, Merkley, Wyden Press FEMA on Denial of Emergency Federal Assistance

July 28, 2026

Salem, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden demanded urgent answers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in response to the agency’s denial of Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) for two wildfires in Oregon: the East Evans Creek Fire and Rowe Creek Fire Complex. Both fires

Wyden, Merkley, Bynum: Redmond Secures $1.25 Million Investment for Water Infrastructure

July 27, 2026

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum today announced that the city of Redmond has earned a $1.25 million federal infrastructure investment from the Environmental Protection Agency to expand the city’s sustainable wastewater treatment system. “Modern and dependable infrastructure is essential