Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured over $100 million in federal investments for essential community-initiated projects in nearly every Oregon county in both Fiscal Year 2026 packages that recently cleared Congress.
Both Merkley and Wyden hold a town hall in each Oregon county every year and work hard to ensure that local feedback informs every aspect of their work in Washington, D.C. This local feedback is directly reflected in the projects that were chosen for federal funding in the first two packages of this year’s spending bills to help meet critical needs in Oregon communities.
“Community-initiated projects are rooted in the fact that no one knows the unique needs of communities across Oregon like the folks living and working in them. The communities identified top projects, and we fought for them,” Merkley said. “Together with Senator Wyden and members of Oregon’s House delegation, we secured funding for 54 of these important homegrown projects that will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come.”
“No-one knows what a local community needs more than the local community itself. That’s why I hold town halls and meetings in every nook and cranny of the state: to hear directly from Oregonians about their needs and bring that back to D.C. to fight for these critical projects,” Wyden said. “I am gratified to work alongside Senator Merkley and our Oregon delegation to bring home these federal investments to help communities throughout Oregon thrive.”
Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which wrote the funding bills and is one of the most powerful committees on Capitol Hill. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about the investments our nation should be making. Merkley’s position on the committee—including his key role as the top Democrat on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee—is vital to lock in the state’s priorities in the drafting of the bills, and Merkley and Wyden are highly-effective at working together to deliver projects for Oregon.
The 54 Oregon community-initiated projects, combined totaling $102,692,000, secured by Merkley and Wyden in the first two packages of FY26, broken down by region, are as follows:
MID-WILLAMETTE VALLEY & NORTH COAST (Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Tillamook, Clatsop, and Columbia Counties)
- $4 million to the City of Tillamook for their Water Transmission Line Replacement Project. These funds will help the City replace their 80-year-old water transmission lines with modern, seismically resilient infrastructure, enabling the city to continue providing clean drinking water to the Tillamook community.
- $3.098 million to the Bureau of Land Management in partnership with Cycle Yamhill County for the construction of the Panther Creek Trail Network. The funds 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.
- $2 million for the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection Fire District will support the construction of a new fire station that will expand current service capabilities to include additional sleeping quarters, training areas, adequate storage for emergency medical services and firefighting supplies and increase the effectiveness and responsiveness of first responders.
- $1.092 million to Marion County for Sewer System Improvements for a new wastewater treatment plant that will serve the cities of Mill City and Gates. This funding will provide infrastructure critical to economic development, public health, watershed protection, and wildfire recovery in the North Santiam Canyon.
- $1.031 million for Clatsop County’s law enforcement and fire agencies to purchase and upgrade radio communications systems. Eliminating communication vulnerabilities with new equipment will enable public safety personnel throughout the county to effectively respond to emergencies and protect its citizens.
- $1 million to the City of Dallas for the construction of their Potable Water Reservoir Tank Project and the LaCreole Node Sewer project. This funding will support the city’s efforts to build a new reservoir that is seismically resilient and capable of providing the community with a resilient potable water supply in emergencies and advance the development of a sewer project that will open more opportunities for economic development in the region.
- $500,000 to the Nestucca, Neskowin, and Sand Lake Watersheds Council for their Fish Passage Improvements project. This funding will open nearly 5 miles of water habitat for endangered fish species passage and will increase infrastructure resiliency in Tillamook County by replacing undersized culverts and small dams that inhibit natural stream processes.
Click HERE for quotes from Mid-Willamette and North Coast community-initiated project recipients.
METRO (Multnomah and Washington Counties)
- $2 million to Oregon Metro to improve the California condor recovery program at the Oregon Zoo. 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 grow capacity for additional breeding, in addition to bolstering health resources and safety measures for the birds.
- $2 million to the City of Beaverton to construct the North Transmission Line Intertie. This project will provide a secondary water supply line and will enable the City to continue to deliver clean water in the case of an emergency.
- $1.65 million for Portland State University to purchase imaging and fabrication equipment to create a Semiconductor Innovation and Nanoscience Center. This new center will increase semi-micro workforce diversity by providing educational access to sophisticated instrumentation and will spur collaboration between the university and industry.
- $1.092 million for the City of Gresham for a wastewater treatment nitrification project to remove ammonia from wastewater which will help further grow the City’s semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
- $1.092 million to the City of Portland for clean water improvements to support the City’s network of pump stations. Improvements will include replacing failing equipment which will help ensure the City of Portland remains in compliance with water quality requirements and provide continuity of operations during severe weather events and other outages.
- $1.005 million to the City of Gresham to expand the East Multnomah Outreach Prevention and Intervention (EMOPI) program, a youth violence prevention program that works to prevent violent crime in Gresham and keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
- $1 million toward the rehabilitation and fortification of the aging Scoggins Dam and spillway to reduce risk and improve seismic resilience.
- $907,000 for the City of Gresham to purchase equipment which will bring Real Time Information Center data into the City’s policing protocols, which will improve the City’s efforts to prevent crime.
- $450,000 to continue pre-construction and design activities for the Portland Metro Levee System that will minimize flood risk and protect public safety, supply chains and water security.
- $125,000 to Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District for their Community Forest Wildfire Mitigation project to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Funds will be used to purchase equipment such as chainsaws, chippers, and spider lifts, that will enable the District to conduct mechanical thinning in areas that are susceptible to wildfire threats.
Click HERE for quotes from the metro area community-initiated project recipients.
MID-COLUMBIA (Clackamas, Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam Counties)
- $5.25 million to Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) for the rehabilitation and construction of various In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites along the Columbia River.
- $2 million for the Farmers Irrigation District to convert remaining sections of open canal into buried irrigation pipelines in Hood River County. This project will contribute to improved habitats for native fish species, water conservation, and sustained agricultural production.
- $1.9 million to the U.S. Forest Service for their Timberline Lodge fire suppression system modernization project. Funds will be used to update Timberline Lodge’s 90-year-old fire suppression sprinkler system to ensure the safety of visitors and employees and to ensure the longevity of the historic Timberline Lodge.
- $1.092 million for the City of Sandy’s Wastewater Pump Station. Sandy is under a housing development moratorium due to the capacity limitations of its current wastewater system. Once completed, this project will help the city to resume housing growth and economic development.
- $1 million for the City of Maupin’s water system improvement project to replace the City’s aging water system storage and inadequate distribution systems. Maupin is currently dependent on one water source, and the booster pump stations are 50 years old, unreliable, and unable to meet the city’s peak daily demands. This project will improve water quality, support regional fire prevention plans, and contribute to community development goals.
- $500,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers for continued work to develop tribal housing in The Dalles. These funds will allow the Corps to revise and carry out a Village Development plan to comprehensively address adverse impacts to Indian villages, housing sites, and related structures as a result of the construction of The Dalles Dam, Bonneville Dam, McNary Dam, and John Day Dam.
- $500,000 for the Hood River Watershed Group to complete a study of the environmental and economic opportunities, benefits, and feasibility of aquatic ecosystem restoration at the mouth of the Hood River.