Tag: Responding to and Recovering from Wildfire and Drought

Home / Responding to and Recovering from Wildfire and Drought

Merkley, Harder Push to Increase Federal Response for Hazardous Wildfire Smoke

June 10, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Josh Harder (CA-09) today reintroduced the Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act, legislation to help communities respond to increasingly dangerous wildfire smoke events. The bicameral bill would create a federal framework for smoke emergencies, unlock resources to protect public health, support small businesses, and help communities weather worsening wildfire seasons. “When the 2020

Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle, Bynum, Salinas Announce Over $7.5 Million to Strengthen and Defend Oregon Communities Facing Wildfire Threats

May 1, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Representatives Val Hoyle (OR-04), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), and Andrea Salinas (OR-06), announced $7,538,176 is coming to four projects in Oregon to help make communities more resilient to severe wildfires. These investments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will support disaster relief efforts and mitigate wildfire risk, protecting homes, businesses, and infrastructure in Oregon. For

Wyden, Merkley Announce More than $48 Million in Secure Rural Schools Funds for Oregon Counties

April 15, 2026

Funding comes after passage of Wyden/Merkley/Crapo/Risch bill to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools Program Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that nearly $48.7 million in federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service for fiscal year 2025 will be coming to Oregon counties following the passage

Wyden, Merkley Announce Nearly $49 Million in Retroactive Secure Rural Schools Funds for Oregon Counties

February 23, 2026

Funding comes after passage of Wyden/Merkley/Crapo/Risch bill to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools Program Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that nearly $49 million in retroactive federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service for fiscal year 2024 will be coming to Oregon counties following the

Ranking Members Heinrich, Klobuchar, Merkley, Huffman, Pingree, and Colleagues Call on Secretary Burgum to Halt Creation of Unified Wildfire Agency, Citing Dramatic Cuts at the Interior and Concerns with Fire Mismanagement

February 18, 2026

“Mismanagement of fire management has life-or-death consequences and places billions of taxpayer dollars at risk.” Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment,

Wyden, Merkley: Major Disaster Declaration Issued for 2024 Wildfires in Gilliam, Grant, Umatilla, Wasco & Wheeler Counties

January 2, 2025

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they were gratified that President Biden has issued a major disaster declaration for Gilliam, Grant, Umatilla, Wasco and Wheeler counties that enables those five Oregon counties to receive federal help for wildfires last year between July 10-August 23. The major disaster

Rep. Stansbury, Sen. Merkley Lead Letter To FEMA Urging Critical Policy Changes

July 1, 2024

Reps. Blumenauer, Garcia, and Neguse co-lead letter on extreme heat, wildfire smoke effects WASHINGTON – Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) led a bicameral letter with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use all available resources to respond to the threats of extreme heat and wildfire smoke facing

Merkley, Wyden: OSU Receives Federal Funding Award to Boost Wildfire Smoke Resiliency in Oregon

March 21, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today Oregon State University (OSU) received $667,500 as an initial award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a set of interventions that includes tailored toolkits and resources that can be used by schools, preschools, and

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $38 Million Coming to Oregon to Combat Growing Wildfire Crisis

February 22, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Oregon is receiving over $38 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for wildfire resilience efforts under the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. This significant federal investment, provided as part of the Biden administration’s

Merkley Statement on Biden Administration’s Move to Protect Communities from Wildfire and Smoke Impacts

November 9, 2023

Washington, D.C. – As an outspoken leader for protecting communities from extreme wildfire and smoke events, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued a statement following the Biden Administration’s announcement that it will issue a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)