Merkley, Wyden and Oregon House members announce $7.5M for wildfire upgrades
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday (May 1, 2026), Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Representatives Val Hoyle (OR-04), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), and Andrea Salinas (OR-06), announced $7,538,176 is coming to four projects in Oregon to help make communities more resilient to severe wildfires. These investments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will support disaster relief efforts and mitigate wildfire risk, protecting homes, businesses, and infrastructure in Oregon.
For years, the Oregon congressional delegation has worked to secure federal resources for Oregonians affected by wildfires. In the wake of the catastrophic wildfires that broke out over Labor Day weekend in 2020, Merkley and Wyden led the charge to push for the rapid approval of the request for federal disaster relief, which was granted, and also successfully urged the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior to expedite the initiation and completion of the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program for wildfires in Oregon.
Read about specific projects in the article:
https://nbc16.com/news/local/senators-jeff-merkley-ron-wyden-and-oregon-house-members-representatives-val-hoyle-janelle-bynum-andrea-salinas-announce-75m-for-wildfire-upgrades-oregon