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

Merkley Introduces New Legislation to Protect Families’ and Children’s Health

WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a bill that would fast-track the phase-out of the most harmful chemicals identified by scientists – chemicals that don’t break down in the environment and that build up in the food chain so that even small amounts can be dangerous. Known as persistent,

Oregon and Washington Congressional Delegations Urge Administration to Keep Offshore Drilling from Harming Northwest Coastal Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter sent today, fourteen Members of Congress from Oregon and Washington pressed the administration for continued protection of Oregon’s and Washington’s coasts from offshore drilling. Specifically, the letter urged the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to exclude Oregon and Washington’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)

Merkley, Wyden Press For Additional Firefighting Funds for Oregon

As wildfires spanning nearly 600,000 acres burn across Oregon – with lightning storms predicted for the next 48 hours – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden led 10 other senators today in sending a letter to Senate leaders calling for swift passage of President Obama’s emergency supplemental funding request,

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