8/8/2024
Oregon – Official Release: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) joined the entire Oregon congressional delegation, including Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, and Cliff Bentz, in urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to approve the state of Oregon’s disaster declaration request for Oregon counties facing devastating wildfires. The delegation also wrote in support of a request for the USDA to open more targeted federal resources to support impacted agricultural communities throughout the state.
“[W]e must make sure communities can access the federal resources they need to equitably recover from these increasingly devastating fires,” wrote the lawmakers.
Oregon’s wildfire season has already decimated communities throughout Eastern Oregon, as the state deals with five confirmed “megafires” – the Durkee, Cow Valley, Falls, Lone Rock, and Monkey Creek fires – that have all started in July alone. With approximately 112 fires currently burning across Oregon that have scorched over 1.2 million acres, it is imperative that the USDA continues to build upon the partnerships, collaboration, and respect between the agency fire crews, community leaders, as well as staff and volunteers, as this fire season progresses.
“However, as thick smoke blankets communities and creates hazardous conditions for thousands, our first responders brave these perils and continue to protect and serve their communities,” the lawmakers continued. “Their tireless work battling these fires has helped save countless lives. Moreover, Rangeland Fire Protection Associations (RFPAs) have displayed commendable efforts during this trying time – helping protect their neighbors’ lives and livelihoods to the risk of their own.”
The Oregon delegation is pushing to bring more federal support for these heroes and the agricultural communities they are protecting by backing requests for:
- Secretarial Disaster Designations for impacted counties, including Linn County in the 5th District;
- Grant emergency use authorizations for alternative grazing areas and flexibility in grazing schedules for Oregon’s livestock ranchers. This will help accommodate recovery across National Forest System lands; and
- Grant emergency waivers for the use of non-certified weed-free forage, such as local forage, should resources necessary for soil stabilization and livestock feeding become strained.
The lawmakers also support the governor’s request for expedited relief for Oregon’s agricultural communities through several USDA programs, including the Emergency Conservation Program, Emergency Assistance for Livestock Program, Farm Storage Facility Loan Program, and Emergency Watershed Protection Program, among many others. These additional federal resources are essential, as there are still several more weeks of a severe wildfire season ahead. Current fires are expected to grow, and new fires are likely to start with no significant precipitation forecasted. Drought intensity is projected to increase throughout the state, elevating the risk that more lightning strikes, as well as human-caused ignitions, will spark additional fires.
“Given the harm these fires have caused to both the physical and social infrastructure throughout Oregon, we urge you and your department to ensure the State, Local, and Tribal governments have all the resources they need to help Oregonians recover from these deadly fires,” concluded the lawmakers.
Full text of the letter is available HERE.
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