Tag: Natural Resources and Rural Development

Small ports seek $48 million in federal funding

Ports in the Northwest are waiting to see if the nation’s budget will include funding for small ports that often struggle to obtain federal dollars. The Northwestern congressional delegation advocated that the president’s fiscal year 2017 budget set aside roughly $48 million to maintain jetties and the channels leading to

Proposal looms for Sutton Mountain wilderness

MITCHELL — Walking atop Sutton Mountain feels a bit like entering a pocket of African savanna perched high above the Oregon desert. Waves of grassland spread across a wide plateau spotted with gnarled juniper trees. A gigantic sky — cobalt blue in one half and dark with incoming rain in

Merkley Announces Key Support for Small Ports in Spending Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced that the omnibus spending bill expected to pass the Senate and the U.S. House this week includes a provision that will help strengthen Oregon’s small ports and make sure that small ports in America receive their fair share of funding. The

Oregon Delegation Announces Deal to Save Newport Air Station

Washington, D.C. – Today, members of Oregon’s Congressional Delegation announced they have secured a provision in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 that would keep the Newport air facility open for at least two years. Due to budget cuts, the Coast Guard threatened in 2014 to close the Newport

Merkley Responds to FDA Approval of Genetically-Modified Salmon

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the FDA announced their approval of genetically-modified salmon for human consumption:  “The United States has never approved a genetically-modified animal for human consumption before, and for good reason. Many Americans are troubled by how many of our crops

Merkley Presses for Fix to Rural Development Rental Assistance Shortfall that Could Kick Low-Income Oregonians Out of their Homes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, brought a key Oregon witness, Tony Chrisman, to testify before the panel on an impending rural housing disaster. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development agency – due to a budget

OR Senators Push For Long Term Fire Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) spoke out in favor of the U.S. Senate’s approval of a bill to keep the government running through mid-December. The legislation also includes $700 million in emergency funding to refill wildfire accounts drained during this summer’s devastating fire

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