EUGENE, Ore. — Wildfires are top of mind for Oregon’s federal delegation, including Senator Jeff Merkley, chair of the Interior Subcommittee for Appropriations.
He worked to get more funding for wildland firefighters to fight these blazes.
But the extreme conditions – particularly in eastern Oregon – are a cause for concern.
“It’s really challenging,” Merkley says. “We have 120 fires burning in Oregon. That’s an astounding number. We have 1.1 million acres that have been scorched.
“I spoke with the head of the Forest Service yesterday about the challenges. They’re not going to run out of money; I made sure of that through my interior bill, but they certainly have the equipment being stressed, especially as fires start to grow in California and some of the other states.”
Merkley is in Washington, D.C. right now working on additional funding bills that include firefighting support.
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