Tackling Climate Change

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: ODOT Receives $31.9 Million to Slash Pollution from Construction Projects

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is receiving $31,933,577 to use cleaner construction materials on federally-funded projects statewide. The funding comes from the historic Inflation Reduction Act’s Low Carbon Transportation Materials Discretionary Grant Program, which supports

Whitehouse and Transatlantic Climate Leaders Call for Lobbying Disclosure Requirements and Conflict-of-Interest Policies to Prevent Industry Obstruction

Ahead of INC-5, 9 members of Congress and European Parliament urge international leaders to restrict industry influence on negotiations Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Peter Welch (D-VT), along with U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Member of the European Parliament Paul Canfin, led

Merkley, Wyden Announce $10.1 Million Federal Investment for Tualatin Mountain Forest Project

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding $10,180,000 to boost the Tualatin Mountain Forest Project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Legacy Program. This new federal funding from the historic Inflation Reduction Act—the largest investment ever to

Merkley, Wyden Announce $46 Million to Boost the Klamath Basin 

Federal funding will help restore the Klamath River’s habitat following historic dam removal and further protect endangered C’waam, Koptu, and salmon Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is investing a total of$46,191,133in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to boost ecosystem restoration and

Merkley, Wyden Celebrate Multi-Million Dollar Federal Investment in Rail Safety, Stronger Supply Chains Across Oregon

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced $42,712,400 in federal funding is coming to Oregon for five projects to improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability across the state. The investment—funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and

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