Press Releases

Risch, Merkley Introduce Bill to Remove Roadblocks for Youth Corps Public Lands Projects

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to reduce federal cost-sharing requirements for public lands projects performed by qualified youth or conservation corps from 25% to 10%. “Current cost-sharing requirements prevent youth conservation corps from carrying out important public lands projects,” said Risch. “My bill reduces this

Bynum and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect the Deschutes River

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill reauthorizes the Deschutes River Conservancy’s (DRC) eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality improvement initiatives and conservation efforts. Since its founding in 1996, the DRC and

Sens. Merkley, Wyden, Murray and Cantwell and Rep. Blumenauer Introduce Legislation to Improve Sanitation and Safety Conditions at Columbia River Fishing Sites

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03) introduced the Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act, bicameral legislation to enable the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to make important safety and sanitation

Merkley, Burr Introduce Bipartisan Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced the bipartisan Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2016, legislation to reauthorize, update and improve programs that help to grow and support the nursing workforce in the United States. With many nurses retiring and baby boomers projected

Merkley, Wyden Introduce Legislation to Address Oil Train Derailments

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden introduced legislation that will take on the threats posed by oil trains and help prevent horrific accidents like what happened in Mosier, Oregon last month. The Mandate Oil Spill Inspections and Emergency Rules (MOSIER) Act would require the National

Merkley Statement on Passage of Anti-Consumer GMO Labeling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Senate passed a bill that would prohibit states from requiring GMO labeling and instead institute weak federal requirements that would make it virtually impossible for ordinary consumers to access information about genetically modified ingredients in their food:

Merkley Slams Repeated Fed Volcker Delays

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Federal Reserve announced that they would again delay implementation of a key part of the Volcker Rule, this time until 2017: “It’s been six years since the Volcker Rule became law, and unbelievably, the Fed still doesn’t

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