Tag: Natural Resources and Rural Development

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Merkley Leads Bipartisan Legislation to Cut Red Tape and Invest in Watershed Projects Due to Extreme Drought

April 8, 2026

Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the former Ranking Member on the Appropriations subcommittee that writes our nation’s agriculture funding bill—partnered with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) to reintroduce the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act. This bipartisan bill would increase the resiliency of American agriculture and communities

Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Merkley: Cuts in Trump’s Budget Request to Leave Lasting Scars on Public Lands, Tribes, and Human Health

April 7, 2026

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee on the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the release of President Trump’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2027: “This budget request from President Trump and his Administration once again fails to meet the

Wyden, Merkley, Dexter Reintroduce Bill to Decommission Offshore Oil and Gas Wells, Platforms and Pipelines

March 27, 2026

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter said today they have reintroduced legislation in the Senate and House that would address the growing threat of abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure to marine ecosystems and the environment in Oregon and nationwide as a result

Oregon Lawmakers Call on Trump Administration to Extend Public Comment Period for Revised Western Oregon Forest Plan

March 26, 2026

New BLM proposal would open up millions of acres of Western Oregon forests to new commercial timber production Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter this week called on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

Wyden, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Modernize Power Grid, Lower Energy Costs and Reduce Wildfire Risk

March 25, 2026

WATCH: Wyden unveils legislation at Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on power grid resilience Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation that would overhaul aging power line infrastructure and improve efficiency in order to bring down energy costs and reduce wildfire risks

Merkley Celebrates Senate Passage of His Bipartisan Bill to Wipe Out Non-Flushables from Wastewater Infrastructure

March 24, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced that his bipartisan Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act unanimously passed the Senate. Merkley leads the WIPPES Act with Maine’s U.S. Senator Susan Collins. The WIPPES Act would address health, ecosystem, and wastewater infrastructure concerns caused by the flushing of non-flushable wipes.

Bipartisan Merkley, Sheehy Bill Boosts Transportation and Access to Public Lands

March 18, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Montana’s U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy led a bipartisan effort to reauthorize the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP), a popular federal program that provides transportation options to public lands. The Senators’ bipartisan FLAP Reauthorization Act ensures the program will not expire

Huffman, King, Merkley Lead Amicus Brief Opposing Trump’s Illegal Monument Scheme

March 9, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), and Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), along with Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), filed an amicus brief in federal court opposing President Trump’s plan to erect a 250-foot “Independence Arch” on federal parkland in

Ranking Members Heinrich and Merkley Demand Answers from Trump Administration on Efforts to Erase History on Public Lands

March 6, 2026

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) demanding answers from the National Park Service (NPS) following reports that

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $4.2 Million for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Centers

February 18, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that $4,250,606 in federal funding is coming to Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center to support critical health services for uninsured and underinsured Oregonians in Washington and Yamhill counties. “Access to quality health care should never depend on your ZIP