Bend awarded $5 million federal grant to fuel affordable housing production
Bend Bulletin The city of Bend has received a $5 million grant intended to kickstart affordable housing supply, the federal government announced Wednesday. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the grant set the course for the city to identify and address policies that slow affordable housing
Wyden, Merkley announce $30.1 million in ‘Payments in Lieu of Taxes’ to Oregon counties; $6 million to C. Oregon
KTVZ WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Thursday that counties throughout Oregon will receive more than $30.1 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2024, including over $6 million for Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT
Wyden, Merkley, colleagues call on Postal Service to prepare for November election
KTVZ WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senator Ron Wyden said Thursday he is leading Senate colleagues including fellow Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley in calling on Postmaster General DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service to share their plans to accommodate high volumes of mail expected in the upcoming 2024 general election in Oregon and nationwide.
Filibuster reform, one year later
WASHINGTON — In the year since Senate Democrats — led by Oregon’s Jeff Merkley — changed the rules on filibustering executive nominees, including federal judges below the U.S. Supreme Court, the number of empty judgeships has dropped to the lowest level since the first year of Barack Obama’s presidency. As
Lawmakers Lambaste New York Fed Chief on Lax Oversight
WASHINGTON—The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York defended the regulator’s oversight of large financial firms amid tough questioning from Senate Democrats, who accused the Fed of kowtowing to the biggest banks. William Dudley , the New York Fed’s president appearing at a Senate hearing, denied his institution has
EPA reconsidering biomass
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency signaled Wednesday that it may be more open to considering timber byproducts and other biomass as an energy source that fits within the Obama administration’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions. In a memo to all of the agency’s regional air directors, Janet G. McCabe,
Senator Merkley Argues Against Keystone Pipeline on Senate Floor
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The controversial Keystone Pipeline Vote in the Senate Tuesday went down to defeat by one vote. The vote would’ve allowed Canada to build a piepline thorugh the U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu is in a tight December runoff and had hoped to
Klamath bills pass Senate committee
A settlement aimed at solving decades-old water conflicts in the Klamath Basin moved one step closer to becoming a reality Thursday. The Klamath Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act, Senate Bill 2379, passed through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The vote was 17-5. Officials hope the bill, which
UHS robotics team gets a visit from Sen. Jeff Merkley
Umatilla High School wasn’t originally a stop on his 50-town tour in the state of Oregon, but when U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley was invited by Umatilla Superintendent Heidi Sipe to see the UHS robotics program, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. On Sunday, Merkley ventured out to UHS to chat