Interior-Environment spending bills pass House, advance in Senate, include funds for five Central Oregon projects

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Two members of Oregon’s congressional delegation on each sides of the aisle pointed in recent days to advancing legislation that will if they make the final version will send millions to five Central Oregon projects and numerous others around the state.

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer voted for an Interior Department appropriations bill that passed the House Wednesday and includes $1 million for a new Terrebonne sewer system, among other projects and programs, including a much-sought boost in wildland firefighter pay.

Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Merkley, chair of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Committee, said he’d “secured critical investments” and listed 25 community-initiated projects in the FY 25 Interior-Environment funding bill that passed out of that committee Thursday.

Merkley noted that Senate passage would be followed by efforts to reconcile the House and Senate legislation and pass a merged final version.

Four of the 25 projects Merkley spotlighted in the Senate bill are in Central Oregon: $2 million for the Arnold Irrigation District to complete a final, nearly 12-mile phase of canal piping; $2 million to the Deschutes River Conservancy, also for canal piping; $1.5 million for the city of Prineville to design and build a new booster pump station and design new water reservoirs; and $1.404 million to the Oregon DEQ for a Crook County Groundwater Research Project. to identify  the scope and cause of reported groundwater contamination issues affecting dozens of homeowners near a Prineville-area gravel mine.

Here are both lawmakers' full releases on the appropriations bills:

Chavez-DeRemer Secures Over $6 Million for 5th District in House-Passed Interior Appropriations Bill
Bill also contains increased funding for wildfire mitigation and management 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) voted for H.R. 8998, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025, which included a $6.75 million investment in water and wastewater infrastructure projects across the district. The bill, which passed the House, also boosts funding for Wildland Fire Management (WFM) and the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund.

“Unfortunately, Oregon is experiencing an intense wildfire season that has scorched thousands of precious acres and threatened communities across the state. While I stand ready to assist when federal disaster relief is needed, I’ll keep working to protect and increase needed funding for wildfire mitigation and management,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “In this appropriations bill, I also secured infrastructure investments that will protect drinking water in Sweet Home and help 5th District communities continue to grow and thrive for decades to come.”

The appropriations bill contains five of Chavez-DeRemer’s Community Project Funding requests, bringing home $6.75 million for water and wastewater infrastructure projects in the 5th District, including:

• $2.25 million for Sweet Home to retrofit its water treatment plant to provide safer drinking water to all residents;
• $1.25 for Molalla to construct a new wastewater treatment plant to prepare for continued growth;
• $1.25 million for Stayton to increase the capacity of the sewer pipe system and help prevent potential sewer overflow;
• $1 million for Marion County to design and construct a wastewater force main that will accommodate new homes, businesses, and other facilities; and
• $1 million for Terrebonne to build a new wastewater collection system to provide the community with a safe, efficient method to dispose of wastewater and provide an opportunity for new development.

Additionally, the proposal includes key investments in wildfire mitigation and management and renewable energy, including:

• A $177 million increase to Wildland Fire Management at the U.S. Forest Service, including a $100 million boost to the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund;
• Permanently addressing federal wildland firefighter pay by authorizing $330 million to support pay reforms; and
• A $2 million increase for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to support the production of offshore renewable energy. 

--

Merkley Announces Key Committee Action to Boost Oregon’s Wildfire Resiliency, Water Infrastructure, and Climate Investments Under his Chairmanship

• July 25, 2024

As chair of a key Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Merkley wrote the fiscal year 2025 Interior-Environment spending bill to fund top Oregon priorities, including essential community-initiated projects across the state.

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—as Chair of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—announced he secured 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 2025 (FY25) 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.

Chair Merkley wrote the Interior-Environment bill to include key priorities for Oregon, including $43.7 million for 25 community-initiated projects throughout the state, as well as significant investments to support programs and projects that help support wildfire management and smoke preparedness, permanently raise wildland firefighter pay, build drought resiliency and conservation, and address the water crisis in the Klamath Basin.

Under Chair Merkley’s leadership, the Interior-Environment bill passed the committee with bipartisan support—a key step on the road to becoming law. 

“As I hold town halls in each of Oregon’s 36 counties, I hear firsthand from folks about what matters most to them. We need to take on wildfire, smoke, and heat threats; give wildland firefighters a permanent raise; modernize our water infrastructure to ensure the delivery of clean drinking water and sanitary systems; fulfill our trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribes; and protect our state’s iconic public lands and waters,” Chair Merkley said. “The Interior-Environment bill I wrote delivers on these priorities by funding environmental programs, community-initiated projects, and programs supporting Tribal communities that will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come.”

Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which is one of the most powerful 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, along with Senator Ron Wyden, secured the following 25 Oregon community-initiated projects in the Senate’s draft FY25 Interior-Environment funding bill passed by the Committee Thursday: 

• $5.25 million to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) for the rehabilitation and construction for multiple In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites along the Columbia River, with the support of Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
• $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.
• $3.096 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.
• $2.5 million to Oregon Metro to purchase a depackaging machine to remove plastic packaging from commercial food waste. This project will reduce contamination amongst food waste in the Portland-metro region, allow for improved composting, and prevent landfill methane emissions.
• $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 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 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 to the Deschutes River Conservancy to convert open, porous canals into leak-free pressurized pipe. This improved water delivery will better conserve water in the Deschutes Basin—which continues to face prolonged drought—benefiting farmers, ranchers, and the environment.
• $2 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.
• $2 million to the City of Beaverton to construct the North Transmission Line Intertie. This project will provide a secondary water supply line for the City of Beaverton by constructing a modern, seismically resilient transmission main that connects the city’s water into the existing Joint Water Commission north transmission line to Beaverton’s existing south transmission line. This project will enable Beaverton to continue to deliver clean water in the case of an emergency.
• $1.95 million to the Oregon Water Resources Department 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.
• $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 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 native fish species will also benefit the economies of nearby underserved communities by opening up tourism and recreation opportunities.
• $1.5 million for Portland State University to establish a regional hub for solutions to mitigate extreme urban heat, which is critical in the face of climate chaos and extreme weather events.
• $1.5 million for the City of Prineville to design and construct a new booster pump station and design new water reservoirs to provide capacity and storage. This project would extend the service area of City of Prineville’s drinking and wastewater systems to underserved communities just outside the Prineville city limits, ensuring clean drinking water and sanitary waste disposal for community members.
• $1.404 million to Oregon 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.
• $1.340 million to the Sweet Home Fire District to start and equip a wildland hand crew for the first time in 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 for the City of Maupin’s efforts to replace its aging water system storage and inadequate distribution systems. This project will improve water quality, support regional fire prevention plans, and contribute to the community development goals.
• $1 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, which is well past its useful life. The new plant will serve both John Day and Canyon City.
• $960,000 to the City of Eugene to retrofit or relocate their wastewater pump stations to be able to withstand flooding. These pump stations are critical to maintaining continuity of wastewater operations in Eugene.  
• $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, the water treatment plant’s reservoir would empty in about an hour and cause a loss of both non-potable and potable water. 
• $575,000 to the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with Oregon Water Resources Department, to review and update field analysis of consumptive water use from 1985 – 2024 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.
• $500,000 to support the City of Dallas efforts to build a new reservoir that is seismically resilient and capable of providing the community with a resilient potable water supply in emergencies.
• $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 draft FY25 Senate Interior-Environment bill. 

Protecting Oregon Communities and Forests from Severe Wildfires and Hazardous Smoke

The Interior-Environment bill Senator Merkley wrote includes huge investments to support wildfire management, take on hazardous smoke threats, and support a robust wildland firefighter workforce including permanent pay raises. The funding builds on Merkley’s national leadership to ensure communities in Oregon and throughout the West have the resources needed to mitigate and fight severe wildfires and to support resilient forests.

Key elements in the Interior-Environment bill for wildfire prevention and mitigation include:

Wildfire Suppression: The bill provides $4.145 billion for wildfire suppression, of which $2.75 billion is provided in the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund. This Reserve Fund provides the USFS and DOI 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—is expected to meet the needs for wildfire season in 2025.

Federal Firefighting Workforce: The bill includes language establishing a permanent pay fix and new job series for federal wildland firefighters and provides full funding to meet these obligations. It also creates a $4 million health and wellness program to provide support to combat the real danger of injury and fatigue, which is another consequence of year-round catastrophic wildfire, and directs the agencies to spend at least $8 million to prioritize improvements to firefighter housing.

Wildfire Smoke Mitigation:  The bill provides$9 million, an increase of $2 millionto the FY24 level, for the EPA wildfire grant program Merkley established to support efforts by states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to prepare for and protect against wildfire smoke hazards. Examples of this include grants for developing smoke mitigation and filtration plans for schools and community buildings. The bill continues to support the EPA’s wildfire smoke monitoring efforts as well as smoke forecasting and communication tools like AirNow Fire and Smoke Map.

Hazardous Fuels Reduction: The USFS and DOI are provided a total of $453 million for hazardous fuels reduction projects, an increase of $63 million to fully restore funding to the FY23 level.

Northwest Fire Science Consortium: The bill includes $1 million to establish a new Fire Science Consortium in the Northwest to support collaboration between researchers, land managers, and the public in the northwest to deliver scientific information and tools on wildfire and smoke management.

Forest Restoration: The bill builds on Merkley’s priorities for the USFS, including $34 million, an increase of $3 million, for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), which funds projects backed by diverse stakeholders to improve forest landscapes. This funding will allow the work of five collaboratives across Oregon to continue: Northern Blues Forest Collaborative, Southern Blues Restoration Coalition Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project, Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project, Lakeview Collaborative Landscape Restoration Project, and Rogue Basin Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project.

Protecting Oregon’s Air and Water

As climate chaos continues to strain aging water infrastructure, the Interior-Environment bill makes major modernization investments to help ensure all Oregonians have access to clean and safe air and water, from dependable drinking water and sanitation to a needed water supply for ranchers and growers and protecting Oregon’s iconic ecosystems.

Key elements in the Interior-Environment bill for water modernization and environmental protection include:

Water Infrastructure: The bill supports $8 billion for the loan program to build and repair critical water infrastructure under the Water Infrastructure Financing Innovation Authority (WIFIA) Act. Merkley authored the WIFIA program in 2012 and is working to ensure public drinking water and wastewater infrastructure are well maintained to support public health and safety, strong local businesses, population growth, and clean rivers and aquifers. WIFIA was passed into law as part of the 2014 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

Environmental Protection Priorities: The bill protects EPA’s coreprograms and research, which safeguard communities from harmful pollution. This includes $526 million for EPA enforcement and compliance efforts; $550 million for EPA clean air efforts; and $245 million for EPA’s toxic chemical program. The bill also maintains$100 million for EPA’s environmental justice program – a program that did not even exist until FY22 when Merkley became Chair of the subcommittee. Current EPA staff will also all remain on the job to keep serving our communities.

Supporting Tribal Communities

Merkley is deeply committed to ensuring Congress is upholding its trust and treaty responsibilities and providing fairness to Indian Country through the federal budget process.

Key elements in the Interior-Environment bill Merkley wrote to support Tribes in Oregon and across the country include:

Indian Health Service (IHS): The bill continues to provide advance appropriations for the IHS, totaling $5.4 billion for fiscal year 2026. Advance appropriations improve the reliability of health care services provided by IHS to more than 2.5 million American Indians and Alaska Natives by ensuring predictable funding and protecting services from future lapses in funding due to government shutdowns and unpredictable budget years. The IHS operates health care facilities within Oregon in Warm Springs and Salem. Additionally, the bill provides $145 million, an increase of $21.5 million, for water and sanitation needs for communities like the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs. The bill also includes $3 million to expand the Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) to the lower 48 states. The program has shown to be a proven model in providing health care in rural communities in Alaska, and the expansion efforts will benefit all of Indian Country including within Oregon.

Tribal Programs and Services: The bill includes $12.6 billion in critical funding for Tribal communities across the country, including $8.5 billion for the IHS. It also includes and $4 million for the Indian Reservation Drinking Water Program through EPA, which addresses water infrastructure challenges like those faced by the Warm Springs community. Additionally, the bill includes $1.4 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education, which oversees 184 schools across 23 states.

Tribal Public Safety and Justice: The bill provides $572.8 million—an increase of $17.2 million from the FY24 enacted level—to sustain support police services, special initiatives to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases, Tribal courts, and recruit and retain Detention and Corrections staff. Additionally, the bill provides $55.7 million for Public Safety and Justice Construction, an increase of $10 million to the enacted level, for replacement and repairs of corrections and law enforcement facilities.

Columbia River Treaty Fishing Access Sites: The bill continues $9.7 million, including the community-initiated project award, for Columbia River In-Lieu Treaty Sites. The funding for the fishing sites includes construction to further implement Merkley’s Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act.

Protecting Oregon’s Great Outdoors, Ecosystems, and Community Services

Merkley is focused on preserving and growing protections for Oregon’s most incredible landmarks, lands, waters, and species.

The Interior-Environment bill he wrote maintains investments to strengthen environmental protections and public lands, while supporting Oregon’s recreational economy and vital community services.

Klamath Basin Water and Wildlife Conservation: As a key part of Merkley’s continued efforts toward a long-term solution in the Klamath Basin, he included $20.6 million, an increase of $2 million to the enacted level, for water monitoring efforts and conservation, including 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 a $3.5 million grant 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: The bill allocates $900 million for federal land acquisition and financial assistance to states provided through the Land and Water Conservation Fund(LWCF). This program is critical for improving recreational access to our federal lands, protecting iconic landscapes, creating and protecting 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 $5.765 million for the Tualatin Mountain Forest Legacy Project, $1.8 million for the Willamette Valley Conservation Area, $2.5 million for Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, and $6 million for acquisitions in Mt. Hood National Forest.

Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act (FRIMA): The bill provides $6 million in funding for Merkley’s FRIMA law, an increase of $1 million, for fish passage devices, fish screens, and other related features to mitigate water diversion impacts on fisheries in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and California. FRIMA is an important tool to conserve and restore native anadromous and resident fish populations in the Pacific Northwest.

Western Monarch Butterflies: The bill includes a directive for the USFWS to spend not less than $8 million for conservation activities, including an additional $1 million for western monarch butterflies and other pollinators. This funding will continue to support critical conservation actions identified during Merkley’s Monarch Summits, as well as the Center for Pollinator Conservation.

Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT): The bill fully funds payments to counties through the PILT program, which are estimated at a total of $600 million nationwide.

National Park Service Staffing Increase:  The bill provides $50.3 million to increase national park staffing by 450 park rangers, reversing the trend of staffing losses suffered by National Parks across the country, to support visitor services and resource protection including at Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve.

Now that the FY25 Interior-Environment bill has cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee, it next heads to the Senate floor for a vote before the legislation can be conferenced with a counterpart bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The final, merged legislation must then be passed by both chambers before it is signed into law.