Tag: Natural Resources and Rural Development

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Merkley, Oregon Delegation Decry Sudden Loss of Columbia River Hatchery Funding

July 2, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and the Oregon Congressional Delegation members Senator Ron Wyden, and Representatives Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Maxine Dexter (OR-03) decried the decision of Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to abruptly end its participation in the Safe Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) program. The SAFE program has been operational since 1993, and provides reliable stocks

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $52 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon

June 29, 2026

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

June 25, 2026

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

June 22, 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

June 18, 2026

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”

June 18, 2026

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

June 17, 2026

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,

Merkley, Wyden Unlock Critical Federal Funding for I-5 Wildlife Crossing in Southern Oregon

June 15, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that, thanks to their efforts, the Trump Administration has released critical federal funds for the Mariposa Preserve Wildlife Crossing over I-5 in Southern Oregon through the heart of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Earlier this month at a

Merkley, Murkowski Lead Bipartisan Push to Protect U.S. Ocean Monitoring Systems

June 15, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) led a bipartisan group of Senators to demand the National Science Foundation (NSF) halt its plans to dismantle the vital Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a complex system of 900 ocean monitoring instruments that provides crucial data for

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $37.4 Million in Federal Funds for Oregon to Support Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure

June 12, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that Oregon will receive more than $37.4 million in federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to support critical drinking water infrastructure projects across the state. “Reliable access to clean water