The carbon pollution in our atmosphere from burning fossil fuels like oil and coal is waging a direct and unchecked assault on our farming, fishing and forests – the cornerstones of Oregon’s rural economy.
When Jeff was young, his dad worked as a millwright. He spent his childhood in Southern Oregon timber communities, where timber jobs were what put food on the table and kept roofs over folks’ head. Fires and insect infestations are already killing trees at alarming rates across the Northwest, and climate change will only make these threats to our forests worse. Other iconic Oregon industries like our coastal oyster hatcheries are threatened by ocean acidification, and fishing and farming alike are facing threats from declining snowpacks and increased drought.
Congress needs to wake up. Climate change is real, and it’s bad for our economy and jobs, especially in rural Oregon and the places that most depend on our abundant natural resources.
Merkley, Wyden Announce Funding for the City of Portland to Transition to Fully Electric Utility Trucks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the City of Portland received $611,536 as an initial award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fund the replacement of two municipal aerial lift utility trucks with fully battery-electric vehicle (BEV) aerial trucks—the first
Wyden, Merkley, Hoyle Announce $5.5 Million to OSU for Marine Energy Research
Federal funds for OSU part of $14.7 million overall for Pacific Marine Energy Center consortium Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representative Val Hoyle today announced that Oregon State University will receive $5.5 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support its Pacific Marine Energy Center operations in Corvallis.
House Passes the WIPPES Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2964, the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act. Sponsored by Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI), the bipartisan, bicameral WIPPES Act would require the Federal Trade Commission to create a uniform label for products that have and/or require a “Do
Senator Merkley Highlights the Need for Climate Action in Hearing – Opening Statement
Senator Merkley highlights the critical importance of investing in climate action and tackling our plastic pollution crisis during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies hearing titled, “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the Environmental Protection Agency” on May 1, 2024. Watch
Senator Merkley Drills Down on Big Oil Lies in Budget Committee Hearing
Senator Merkley asks Representative Raskin about Big Oil’s efforts to avoid accountability for its role in climate chaos in a Senate Budget Committee Hearing titled, “Denial, Disinformation, and Doublespeak: Big Oil’s Evolving Efforts to Avoid, Accountability for Climate Change” on May 1, 2024. Watch the full hearing: https://www.budget.senate.gov/hearings/denial-disinformation-and-doublespeak_big-oils-evolving-efforts-to-avoid-accountability-for-climate-change
Merkley, Wyden Announce $22.6 Million for Oregon School Districts to Transition to Clean School Buses
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding over $22.6 million to 15 school districts around Oregon through its 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition. The federal investment will help replace 96 older buses in school districts across
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