Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee—is teaming up with U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to urge the Biden administration to support a supplemental disaster appropriations effort to direct urgently needed federal resources to communities throughout America that are struggling to recover from wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters that have occurred since the beginning of 2020.
“According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, 2020 shattered the previous annual record for ‘billion dollar’ disasters. In 2020, 22 ‘billion-dollar events’ cost the nation a combined $95 billion in damages,” the lawmakers wrote. “The western United States experienced one of the most destructive fires seasons on record, with over 10 million acres burned. Similarly, Gulf and Atlantic States experienced the most active hurricane season on record. In early 2021, a severe winter storm disrupted utility service to millions throughout the South and Midwest.”
“While in most cases the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delivered substantial emergency relief to affected communities, the scale of natural disasters experienced in 2020 demands additional resources that can only be delivered through a disaster supplemental,” they continued.
Specifically, the senators are requesting:
- Assistance to help thousands of families who lost their homes due to wildfire or hurricanes by providing funding for programs like the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery, Emergency Solutions Grants, and Social Services Block Grants.
- Funding to repair water infrastructure and other infrastructure damaged in 2020 due to wildfire, hurricanes, and winter storms.
- Support for restoration of natural landscapes, including forests and coastal wetlands, which were damaged by wildfire and hurricanes.
- Relief for farmers and ranchers who suffered losses in calendar year 2020 and are likely to suffer losses in 2021.
For years, Merkley has worked to secure federal resources for Oregonians affected by wildfires. In the wake of the catastrophic wildfires that broke out over Labor Day weekend in 2020, Merkley helped push for the rapid approval of Governor Kate Brown’s request for federal disaster relief, which was granted—and urged the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior to expedite the initiation and completion of the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program for wildfires in Oregon.
Merkley has also previously introduced legislation to help communities harmed by wildfire smoke, as well as legislation that would create economic opportunities in forest-dependent communities while reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. In 2019, Merkley convinced Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to reverse course on a disastrous plan to shut down Civilian Conservation Centers, which are Job Corps sites operated by the U.S. Forest Service that help fight fires.
Full text of the letter is available here and follows below.
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Dear President Biden:
We write to urge your support for supplemental disaster appropriations legislation to help communities struggling to recover from natural disasters that occurred in 2020 and early 2021. In addition to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, many communities devastated by wildfires, hurricanes, and floods need specific relief.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, 2020 shattered the previous annual record for “billion dollar” disasters. In 2020, 22 “billion-dollar events” cost the nation a combined $95 billion in damages. The western United States experienced one of the most destructive fires seasons on record, with over 10 million acres burned. Similarly, Gulf and Atlantic States experienced the most active hurricane season on record. In early 2021, a severe winter storm disrupted utility service to millions throughout the South and Midwest.
While in most cases the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delivered substantial emergency relief to affected communities, the scale of natural disasters experienced in 2020 demands additional resources that can only be delivered through a disaster supplemental. As you develop legislation to address this un-met need, we urge you to include:
- Assistance to help thousands of families who lost their homes due to wildfire or hurricanes by providing funding for programs like the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, Emergency Solutions Grants, and Social Services Block Grants.
- Funding to repair water infrastructure and other infrastructure damaged in 2020 due to wildfire, hurricanes, and winter storms.
- Support for restoration of natural landscapes, including forests and coastal wetlands, which were damaged by wildfire and hurricanes.
- Relief for farmers and ranchers who suffered losses in calendar year 2020 and are likely to suffer losses in 2021.
It is critical that we move quickly to enact supplemental disaster relief. The extreme drought and tornadoes that have already impacted much of the country are an early sign of what is likely going to be another difficult year for many states. We cannot afford to allow the impact of an entire years’ worth of natural disasters go unaddressed.
We thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to working with you on this important issue.
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