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.
Interior Cuts in Trump Administration’s “Skinny” Budget to Leave Lasting Scars on Public Lands, Tribal Nations, and Human Health
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee on the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the below statement following the release of President Trump’s ‘skinny’ budget for Fiscal Year 2026. “This budget is exactly what we expected from this administration: abandoning critical programs, slashing essential government services,
Wyden, Merkley Co-Sponsor Bills to Permanently Protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from Offshore Drilling
Wyden co-sponsors additional Merkley-led bill to protect the Arctic Ocean Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they are co-sponsoring two bills that would permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans from the environmental and economic costs of fossil fuel drilling off our coastal shores. Merkley also
Merkley, Pingree Demand Trump Administration Halt Implementation of Reckless Reorganization at the Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s move to significantly reorganize the
Huffman, Merkley Lead Bill to End Drilling in the Arctic Ocean
Washington, D.C. – On Earth Day, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, which would permanently ban new or renewed leases for oil, gas, or mineral extraction in the Arctic Ocean Planning Areas of the
Lofgren, Matsui, Merkley Reintroduce Legislation to Give Individuals an Opportunity to Invest in Building America’s Clean-Energy Future
Modeled after WWII victory bonds, Clean Energy Victory Bonds would spur investment in clean-energy projects, create jobs, & help U.S. fight the climate crisis WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) and Doris Matsui (CA-07) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) reintroduced the Clean Energy Victory Bond Act, bicameral
Oregon Delegation Urges Fishery Disaster Declaration
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resource disaster for the 2024 Oregon troll salmon fishery. “This declaration is critical to provide economic relief
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