Tag: Natural Resources and Rural Development

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Merkley Leads Oregon Delegation to Urge Release of Critical Fishery Disaster Funding

July 11, 2025

Lawmakers press the Trump Administration to act quickly to unlock $7 million intended to help Oregon’s ocean commercial fishermen recover from significant economic losses from declining salmon populations Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led the Oregon Democratic delegation—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)—in pressing the Trump Administration

Merkley, Sheehy Unveil New Bipartisan Effort to Boost Rural Economies, Wildfire Resiliency

July 9, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Montana’s U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy today introduced the bipartisan Supporting American Wood and Mill Infrastructure with Loans for Longevity (SAWMILL) Act. The brand-new legislation supports mills in Oregon, Montana, and across the nation by unlocking federal dollars to support mills retooling or

Merkley, Hoyle Fight Back Against Trump Funding Cuts with Renewed Effort to Reduce Wildfire Risk, Boost Economic Opportunities in Forest-Dependent Communities

July 8, 2025

Washington, D.C. – As the Trump Administration illegally cuts and withholds funding for wildfire mitigation projects, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) teamed up to introduce the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act in Congress. This legislation would provide dedicated federal support to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in Oregon and across the West, while

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $31 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon

June 27, 2025

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

June 26, 2025

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

June 26, 2025

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

June 20, 2025

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

June 18, 2025

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

June 17, 2025

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

Merkley Denounces Reckless Republican Effort to Sell off Public Lands in “One Big, Beautiful Bill”

June 16, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, released the below statement following reports that the Republican “One Big, Beautiful Bill” includes provisions that would allow the federal government to sell off millions of acres of federal