Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—as the Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—announced he helped advance critical investments to strengthen forest health and wildfire resiliency, protect public lands and the environment, boost important programs for Tribes, and support critical projects for Oregon communities.
The federal funding comes through the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which encompasses funding for the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Indian Health Service (IHS), and several other agencies. The bill passed the committee with bipartisan support—a key first step on the road to becoming law. The action is a clear check on the Trump Administration’s efforts to drastically cut the federal funding needed for agencies to continue fueling every day, essential services for Oregonians and all Americans.
“Oregonians turned out in record numbers during my town halls this year to deliver a clear message—we need to do everything we can to fight harmful federal funding cuts and instead double down on protecting our public lands, waters, and outdoor-driven economy,” Merkley said. “This Interior-Environment Appropriations bill I helped shape goes a long way toward taking on wildfire and smoke threats, supporting wildland firefighters, modernizing our water infrastructure, and fulfilling our trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribes, all while providing strong support for critical community-initiated projects that will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come.”
Merkley continued, “This bill also protects full funding for the federal employees who manage our public lands on behalf of the American people. Even as the Trump Administration undercuts and undervalues the experience and skills of these dedicated public servants, they are continuing to build trails, haul trash, fight wildfires, protect visitors, wildlife, and cultural treasures, and all the other jobs it takes to keep our lands open to so many uses every day of the year. In this bill we have protected funding for the National Park System, National Refuge System, National Forest System, our National Conservation Lands, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund to make a bold statement to the Administration that Congress intends to continue to support public lands in the public’s hands.”
Merkley— as the only Oregon member of Congress to serve on the Appropriations Committee since Senator Mark Hatfield—pushed to include key priorities for Oregon in the Interior-Environment bill. This includes over $45 million for 23 community-initiated projects throughout the state.
Merkley, along with Senator Ron Wyden, secured the following 23 Oregon community-initiated projects in the Senate’s FY26 Interior-Environment funding bill passed by the Committee:
- $5.25 million to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) for the rehabilitation and construction of multiple In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites along the Columbia River, with the support of Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
- $4.5 million to the City of John Day to help with construction of a new wastewater treatment plant. The funding will be used to replace the existing facility built in the 1940s and is well past its useful life. The new plant will serve both John Day and Canyon City, reducing community members’ debt burden and help them avoid astronomical increases in sewer bills.
- $4 million for the City of Tillamook to replace its 80-year-old water transmission lines with modern, seismically resilient infrastructure. This construction will enable the city to continue providing clean drinking water to the Tillamook community.
- $3.098 million to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in partnership with Cycle Yamhill County, for the construction of the Panther Creek Trail Network. The funding will be used to construct nearly 25 miles of world-class mountain bike trails on BLM-managed forestland in Yamhill County, creating recreational opportunities for community members and providing a boost to the regional economy.
- $3 million for City of Roses (COR) Healthy Communities for Waste Improvement System. The funding will be used to purchase a depackaging machine to remove plastic packaging from commercial food waste. This machine will reduce landfill dependency, mitigate climate impacts, and support a circular, low-carbon economy.
- $2.5 million for the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal’s Statewide Wildfire Risk Reduction program. This funding will support the statewide “Fire Adapted Oregon” initiative and implement community-based wildfire mitigation and defensible space projects throughout high wildfire risk communities in Oregon.
- $2.373 million for the Lake County Umbrella Watershed Council to design and construct fish passage, and to conduct habitat restoration in the Goose Lake Watershed. This project will improve fish passage, fish and bird habitat, and flood mitigation across five tributaries and eleven streams within the drought-prone watershed.
- $2 million to the Arnold Irrigation District to complete the final, nearly 12-mile phase of their infrastructure resiliency and modernization project. As persistent drought continues to impact the Deschutes Basin, these irrigation modernization efforts to reduce overall water seepage will better serve farmers and ranchers, strengthen habitat for wildlife, and make the region more resilient to climate chaos.
- $2 million for the City of Talent for their resilient waterline installation project to replace existing asbestos cement pipes, which are beyond their useful life and are susceptible to failure during earthquakes. The new, seismically resilient waterlines will ensure continuity of operations should a natural disaster strike the area.
- $2 million for the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) to conduct well assessments and construct monitoring wells in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, which is a region experiencing nitrate contamination of groundwater. Funding will also support the design and construction of eight new wells to fill gaps in OWRD’s current monitoring network. This additional monitoring at different aquifer levels will help with understanding the movement of water and the extent of aquifer contamination in the region.
- $2 million for the City of Beaverton to construct the North Transmission Line Intertie. This project will provide a secondary water supply line by constructing a new seismically resilient transmission main that connects the existing Joint Water Commission north transmission line to Beaverton’s existing south transmission line.
- $2 million for Oregon Metro for Condor Recovery. The Oregon Zoo operates the nation’s second-largest breeding facility for the endangered California condors and houses nearly 10% of the world’s condor population. These funds will enable the zoo to increase capacity for additional breeding, in addition to bolstering health resources and safety measures for the condors.
- $1.9 million to the U.S. Forest Service to modernize Timberline Lodge’s 90-year-old fire suppression sprinkler system. This will help ensure the safety of visitors and employees, and further protect the longevity of the historic Timberline Lodge from fire dangers, like its fire scare in April 2024.
- $1.554 million for the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership for their Wild Fish Habitat Restoration. Funds will be used to complete habitat and water quality restoration projects that aim to restore Chinook and coho salmon populations in the Umpqua watershed. The restoration of these important fish species will also benefit the economies of nearby underserved communities by opening up tourism and recreation opportunities.
- $1.34 million to the Sweet Home Fire District to start and equip a wildland hand crew for the first time in over 15 years. This funding will allow the fire district to stand up a 20-person crew and equip them with proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and equipment, carrier vehicles, and chainsaws. As the district is located in a dynamic Wildland Urban Interface area, it is in critical need of fire prevention and mitigation resources.
- $1 million to the City of Dallas for the construction of their Potable Water Reservoir Tank project and the LaCreole Node Sewer project. Funding for the two city efforts will help build a new reservoir that is seismically resilient and capable of providing the community with a resilient potable water supply in emergencies, as well as advance the development of a sewer project needed to boost economic development in the region.
- $1.014 million to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for their Crook County Groundwater Research Project. Funds will be used to implement a surface and groundwater sampling program in Crook County, which will be used to identify the scope and causes of potential groundwater contamination issues impacting the water of dozens of homeowners in a community near Prineville.
- $1 million for the City of Maupin’s efforts to replace its aging water system storage and inadequate distribution systems. This project will improve water quality and reliability, support regional fire prevention plans, and contribute to the community development goals.
- $1 million to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to stand up grant programs across the state that will enable communities to implement alternatives to open burning of woody debris. This effort would reduce wood smoke emissions in communities across the state by making preferred alternatives more accessible, which will lead to improved air quality.
- $665,000 to the City of Hermiston for the purchase and installation of two backup generators for the Columbia River Regional Water System. Without these generators, in the event of a power outage during peak hours or during an emergency, the water treatment plant’s reservoir would empty in about an hour and cause a loss of both non-potable and potable water for community members and businesses.
- $600,000 for the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) to review and update field analysis of historic consumptive water use in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area. This project will help the State of Oregon better understand the hydrogeology and potential sources of nitrate pollution in groundwater. This is important because private wells currently tap into area aquifers contaminated by nitrates which puts owners’ health at risk.
- $500,000 to the Nestucca, Neskowin, and Sand Lake Watersheds Council to open nearly five miles of water habitat for endangered fish species passage. This project will increase infrastructure resiliency in Tillamook County by repairing undersized culverts and small dams that inhibit natural stream processes.
- $125,000 to the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District for their Community Forest Wildfire Mitigation project. The funding will be used to purchase equipment such as chainsaws, chippers, and spider lifts, for the district to conduct mechanical thinning in areas that are susceptible to wildfire threats. This will help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Click HERE for quotes from community-initiated project recipients included in the FY26 Senate Interior-Environment bill.
Other Key Points and Highlights in the FY26 Interior-Environment Bill:
Protects Public Lands and Waters
Despite an effort to destroy the nation’s land management workforce that acts as a steward of America’s cherished landscapes, the bill ensures that funding for operations of the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System, National Conservation Lands, and the National Forest System are fully protected at enacted levels. The bill secures funding necessary to maintain personnel at prior year levels and also reinforces the responsibilities and duties of these agencies by requiring the necessary staffing levels to be able to provide visitor services, Tribal consultation, ensure public safety, and the science necessary to respond to growing natural threats and increased visitation. The bill also requires that public lands agencies must maintain staffing levels to protect lands, keep visitors safe, provide for access and recreation, consult with Tribes, and undertake other critical activities for managing public lands.
National Park Service: The bill provides $3.27 billion for the National Park Service, including $2.87 billion for the operation of the National Park System, which is equal to the enacted level. This level supports restoring staffing levels to recover from the 24 percent loss in permanent staff during the 2025 calendar year to date and to support a full complement of seasonal staff during fiscal year 2026. This will support visitor services and resource protection, including at Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve. The bill also provides $168 million for the Historic Preservation Fund.
Forest Service: The bill provides $6.17 billion for the Forest Service, excluding additional funding for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve. Of this amount, $3.7 billion is provided for the Forest Service’s non-wildland fire management responsibilities and will sustain current staffing levels. The Forest Service will use these funds to improve forest restoration and fire risk reduction efforts. The bill provides $175 million for hazardous fuels reduction projects $31 million for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program and $6 million for the Legacy Roads and Trails program to prioritize fish passage improvements and repurposing unnecessary roads as trails. The bill continues funding for state grant programs and federal and cooperative research that were proposed for termination in the President’s Budget, including an increase of $8 million for State and Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants, and a total of $8 million for Joint Fire Science research.
Klamath Basin Water and Wildlife Conservation: As a key part of Merkley’s continued efforts toward a long-term solution extended drought in the Klamath Basin, he included $220.6 million, an increase of $3 million to the enacted level, for water monitoring efforts and conservation, including for native fish and wildlife habitat restoration. This effort began after Merkley hosted the pivotal Sucker Summit in 2018.
Columbia River Basin Restoration: The Columbia River Basin Geographic Program will receive $3 million in the bill, equal to the FY24 level, for restoration efforts in the basin.
Saline Lakes: The bill provides $1.75 million to continue U.S. Geological Survey water monitoring assessment efforts for saline lakes in the Great Basin, like Lake Abert in Oregon.
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF): The bill allocates $900 million for federal land acquisition and financial assistance to states provided through the LWCF under the Great American Outdoors Act. This program is critical for improving recreational access to our federal lands, protecting iconic landscapes, delivering grants to states and local governments to create and protect urban parks and open spaces, and providing farmers and ranchers with easements to allow them to continue to steward their private lands in the face of development pressures. This includes 2 Forest Legacy projects in Oregon, $5.56 million for the Madrone Ridge Forest and $3.75 million for the Lostine Forest.
Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT): The bill fully funds payments to counties through the PILT program, which are estimated at a total of $550 million.
Protects Full Funding for Wildland Fire
Supporting Federal Wildland Firefighters: The bill provides funding for the permanent pay fix and job series for federal wildland firefighters that was enacted as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 Continuing Resolution. This initiative began as a temporary bonus for Forest Service and Department of the Interior firefighters provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The bill does not support consolidation of federal firefighting in one agency for fiscal year 2026.
Wildfire Suppression: The bill fully funds essential wildfire preparedness and suppression efforts by providing $4.245 billion for wildfire suppression, of which $2.85 billion is for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund. The Reserve Fund provides the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior an assured amount of funding to be used when major fire activity requires expenditures exceeding regular base suppression operations funding. This funding level—in addition to carryover balances—will meet projected needs for fiscal year 2026 wildfires.
Protects Full Funding for Tribal Programs
Tribal Programs and Services: In total, the bill provides $12 billion for Tribal programs across the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service. Overall, the bill rejects the Administration’s proposed cuts of nearly a billion dollars from Tribal programs from and ensures continuity for Tribal governments to provide basic governmental services across Indian Country.
Indian Health Service (IHS): The bill provides $8 billion in total resources for IHS—a program increase of $87.1 million over fiscal year 2024—to maintain critically important health care services and maintain current staffing for doctors, nurses, and health services staff at existing and newly opened facilities.
Importantly, the bill rejects the Administration’s proposal to eliminate advance appropriations for IHS, which were provided in a historic first for fiscal year 2023. The bill provides an advance appropriation for fiscal year 2027 of $5.3 billion to ensure budget certainty for a health care system that provides health services to 2.5 million people across Indian Country. This advance appropriation will provide the funding IHS needs to provide essential health services to patients in the following fiscal year. Finally, the bill fully funds staff at newly constructed facilities and to ensure that IHS has the health care providers needed to meet increased patient demand.
Supporting Tribal Self-Governance and Essential Services: Rejecting the proposed $911 million in cuts by the Trump Administration, the bill provides an increase of $22.2 million for a total of $1.91 billion in funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ operations of Indian programs. These are the essential government services for critical areas like roads, housing improvement, natural resources protection, Tribal courts, economic development, and social services. This funding is the lifeblood for Tribal governments exercising self-determination and are crucial to upholding the federal government’s trust responsibility.
Tribal Public Safety and Justice: The bill ignores the proposed $107 million in Trump cuts and instead boosts funding to support and invest in Tribal public safety and justice programs by providing an increase of $3.2 million above fiscal year 2024 for a total of $558.8 million for police services, special initiatives to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases, Tribal courts, and hiring of detention and corrections officers.
Maintaining Investments in Tribal Schools: The bill ignores the proposed $187 million Trump cuts to schools and instead maintains $1.366 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education to support a school system of 183 schools and 33 Tribal Colleges and Universities delivering educational services to nearly 57,000 students. The bill provides $1.1 billion for education programs and operations for teachers and school staff. This includes funding to support school operational requirements, staffing, operating costs, Native language programs, scholarships, and support for school connectivity and remote learning capabilities.
Tribal Sovereignty Payments: The bill fully funds Tribal Sovereignty Payments, which consist of contract support costs and 105(l) lease payments, including the increased contract support costs associated with third-party billing for IHS as a result of the June 2024 Supreme Court ruling on Becerra vs. San Carlos Apache Tribe. These are required payments that provide funding for Tribes’ administrative overhead costs for self-governance under the Indian Self-Determination Education and Assistance Act. Senator Merkley strongly supports reclassifying these costs due to a series of court rulings finding that they are a mandatory obligation of the federal government and so that growth in this area does not threaten funding for other critical Tribal programs.
Protecting Our Environment
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The bill provides $8.641 billion to protect essential funding for EPA’s critical responsibilities to protect our environment and public health. The bill protects scores of EPA programs—including clean water and clean air programs—and overwhelmingly limits the cuts that the president’s budget request proposed. It provides targeted increases to programs such as wildfire smoke grants and the Tribal drinking water program.
The Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which provide funding for water and wastewater projects, are funded at the fiscal year 2024 levels. The Hazardous Substance Superfund program continues to receive additional funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The bill also protects categorical grant programs for which states rely, such as state and local air quality management, brownfields projects, and the pollution prevention program, nearly all of which were eliminated in the president’s budget.
Cultural Programs
Cultural Programs: The bill protects essential funding for key cultural institutions and programming in Oregon. It rejects the proposed elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities and instead continues $207 million each for the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities which support Oregon’s arts and humanities councils.
Now that the Interior-Environment bill has cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee, it next heads to the Senate floor for a vote. This bill is part of the 12 annual government funding bills that must pass both chambers of Congress before they can be signed into law. Fiscal year 2026 in Congress started on October 1, 2025, and ends September 30, 2026.
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