Tag: wildfire

Oregon Delegation Pushes for USDA Disaster Declaration, More Federal Resources to Respond to Oregon Wildfires

August 2, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s entire Congressional delegation—U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Cliff Bentz—sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging approval of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s request for a disaster declaration for Oregon counties facing devastating wildfires.

Merkley, Wyden Welcome $400 Million to Combat Historic Western Drought

August 2, 2024

USDA’s New Water Savings Commodity Program Follows Call from Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Arizona, Nevada, & Montana Lawmakers in April Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement of $400 million to address drought through investments at the

Merkley, Wyden Push to Bring More Federal Firefighting Resources to Oregon

July 25, 2024

Washington, D.C. – As an unprecedented number of devastating wildfires burn across the state this July, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden sent an urgent letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland calling for more firefighting resources to respond to the growing wildfire crisis.

Merkley, Wyden Celebrate $24 Million Coming to Oregon to Strengthen and Defend Communities from Wildfire Threats

May 15, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS) is investing $24,063,442 in 13 projects across Oregon to make at-risk communities’ homes, businesses, and infrastructure more resilient to wildfires. This funding allocation is part of the Community Wildfire Defense

Merkley, Wyden, 20+ Western Colleagues Push Biden Administration to Support American West Amid Historic Drought

April 30, 2024

Lawmakers from Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Arizona, Nevada, & Montana Urge USDA to “Bring All Resources to Bear” to Address Long-Term Drought Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) alongside 26

Merkley, Wyden Introduce Bill to Fund Agriculture Research in Oregon, Support its Industry

April 25, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the introduction of the Oregon Research Bounty Act, legislation to authorize funding for 11 research projects that benefit Oregon’s agriculture and forest product sectors. As the former top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee that writes our nation’s

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

Senator Merkley on the Devastating Impact of Wildfires in Oregon

December 6, 2023

Senator Merkley spoke about the impact of wildfires on communities in Oregon and the growing threat of climate chaos during a Senate Environment and Public Works hearing titled “The Science of Extreme Event Attribution: How Climate Change is Fueling Severe Weather Events” on November 1, 2023. Watch the full hearing:

Wyden, Merkley: Nearly $2.2 Million to Rural Oregon Fire Departments for Recruitment

September 6, 2023

Drain, Roseburg, Siletz & Stayton to benefit Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that four rural Oregon fire departments will receive a combined nearly $2.2 million from FEMA for firefighter recruitment and retention. “Firefighters have been working hard this past summer and year-round to