Press Releases
Senate Committee Approves Mount Hood Wilderness Expansion
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) announced that their efforts to expand permanent protections for wilderness surrounding Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge took a big step forward today when the U.S Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the "Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007." Committee members Wyden and Smith - who spearheaded the effort as coauthors of the legislation - called the Committee vote a "victory for … Continue Reading
July 19, 2007
Wyden Asks Secretary Kempthorne for Answers on Interior Ethics Concerns
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) asked Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne today to clarify the Department's ethical strategy in the wake of Mark Limbaugh's departure. In a June 27th letter to Wyden, Secretary Kempthorne identified Mr. Limbaugh-then Assistant Secretary for Water and Science-as chairman of the Department's newly constituted Conduct Accountability Board, which he wrote would be charged with reviewing the ethics issues raised in the Inspector General's report on … Continue Reading
July 11, 2007
Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation will Help National Guard and Reserve Physicians Serving Overseas
Washington, DC - In an effort to help National Guard and Reserve physicians maintain their practices during lengthy overseas deployments, members on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress introduced legislation today that would exempt physicians serving in the Armed Forces overseas from a Medicare law that currently places a 60 day restriction on the amount of time one physician can fill in for a colleague on a leave of absence. This limit creates serious hardship for … Continue Reading
July 10, 2007
Wyden Responds to President Bush's Remarks on Health Care
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden issued the following statement today in response to President Bush's remarks discussing the need to fix the way the tax code treats health care. Wyden is the author of the Healthy Americans Act, the first bipartisan, comprehensive health care reform proposal in almost 15 years. At the core of the Healthy Americans Act, which is cosponsored by Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) is a restructuring of the tax system that ends the current regressive treatment … Continue Reading
June 22, 2007
Wyden Applauds Passage of Senate Energy Legislation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden issued the following statement following U.S. Senate passage of the Energy bill (H.R. 5). "Today, the Senate has taken a major step forward in setting a new course for America's energy policy, adopting provisions that will reduce the nation's use of energy, especially the use of oil. "First, the bill includes a program developed by the Senate Energy Committee on which I sit that will replace roughly 20% of our gasoline use with renewable fuels … Continue Reading
June 22, 2007
Wyden, Smith Announce New Federal Funding to Boost Health Care, Education, and Workforce Development in Oregon Communities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith today announced that they have obtained significant federal funding for various Oregon projects as part of the FY2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. The legislation approved Thursday by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee includes funding for health care, education and workforce development projects; the bill must now be approved by the full Senate."Federal funds can often provide the … Continue Reading
June 19, 2007
County Payments Multi-Year Renewal is Added to Energy Tax Legislation
Washington, D.C. - In a continued effort to provide lasting relief for the nation's rural schools and communities, Senators in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today won approval for a measure that would extend funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act through 2011. The amendment - offered by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Max Baucus (D-MT), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) - was … Continue Reading
June 19, 2007
Wyden to Hold Homeland Security Nominee Until NET Guard is Implemented
Washington, D.C. - After five years of the Department of Homeland Security's failure to implement the National Emergency Technology - NET Guard - program, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced that he will place a hold on the Administration's nomination of Dennis Schrader to serve as Deputy Administrator for National Preparedness until NET Guard is up and running. Congress authorized the establishment of NET Guard in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create teams of local volunteers with … Continue Reading
June 19, 2007
Wyden - Sununu Amendment Would Stop Royalty Relief for Oil Companies
Washington, D.C. - In an effort that could save taxpayers more than $45 million over the next ten years, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John Sununu (R-NH) introduced an amendment today that would repeal Sections 344 and 345 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct). Repealing these provisions would stop the negotiation of certain future royalty relief incentives designed to encourage drilling for deep gas and existing deepwater oil and gas on public lands. "With oil selling for more than … Continue Reading
June 19, 2007
Oregon Military Facilities Slated for Federal Funds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) today announced that more than $15 million has been included in the Fiscal Year 2008 Military Construction appropriations bill for various construction projects in the state of Oregon. The committee also announced its support for the construction of a long term care facility at the Walla Walla VA Medical Center. "From creating classroom space to giving prime land back to the cities, these projects are excellent examples … Continue Reading
June 14, 2007
Wyden, Bennett Team Up to Put Millions of Fuel Efficient Vehicles on the Road
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) introduced legislation today that would reward drivers for buying more fuel efficient cars, trucks and SUVs. The Oil Independence, Limiting Subsidies and Accelerating Vehicle Efficiency (OILSAVE) Act would offer consumers a tax credit for purchasing qualified energy-saving vehicles.The Wyden-Bennett legislation builds on earlier incentives for hybrid gasoline-electric powered cars, but unlike the hybrid credit, the … Continue Reading
June 13, 2007
Wyden-Chambliss Introduce "WISE" Legislation to Draw on Intelligence Community Energy Expertise
Washington, DC - In an effort to better inform U.S. energy policy, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) - members of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence - introduced legislation today that would assign the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to submit an unclassified report on the long-term energy security of the United States. The "Weighing Intelligence for Smarter Energy" (WISE) Act draws on the Intelligence Community's analytical expertise on global … Continue Reading
June 11, 2007
Senator Wyden Blows the Whistle on Under-Investment in Oil Refining and Production
Washington, D.C. - Illustrating how the oil industry's failure to invest in oil production and refining keeps gas prices artificially high, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced his plan today to take tax breaks away from oil companies that do not invest in new refinery capacity and upgrades."The consequences of the oil industry's anti-consumer behavior are clear. When there is less refining capacity, there is less ability to turn oil into gas. When there is less gas, prices go up. When … Continue Reading
June 07, 2007
Smith and Wyden Set Agenda for 110th Congress
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden unveiled their sixth joint legislative agenda today showing their firm commitment to advancing a bipartisan agenda for Oregon. The agenda sets out to preserve the county payments safety net, improve access to health insurance, and help build Oregon's economy. The agenda also addresses education, hunger, the Internet and funding for transportation projects. "We're probably the only two home state Senators not arguing with each … Continue Reading
June 04, 2007
Wyden Asks BPA to Delay Long-Term Contract Decision Until Residential Exchange Deal is Reached
Washington, D.C. - As thousands of Oregonians brace for significantly higher utility bills this month, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) today urging BPA to assume the role of an "honest broker" and to look for legally sufficient ways to restore the Residential Exchange benefits as soon as possible. Since 1980, the Residential Exchange program has enabled residents and small farm utility customers in Oregon to share the benefits of BPA's … Continue Reading
June 04, 2007
Wyden Charges Administration with: "Buying nothing but higher gas prices for American families"
Washington, D.C. - As American gasoline prices hit record highs, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is questioning the timing of the Bush Administration's announcement that it will begin transporting 9.2 million barrels of Royalty In Kind crude oil to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Slated to begin July 1, 2007, this would be the first installment of a 27 million barrel transfer to the SPR. In a letter to President Bush, Wyden expressed concern with the Administration's decision to … Continue Reading
May 29, 2007
Wyden Welcomes Obama Health Care Plan
Portland - I am very pleased that Senator Obama (D-IL) has come forward with a proposal to fix the nation's broken health care system and that his plan is based on some of the core principles contained in the bipartisan Healthy Americans Act. I look forward to seeing the details.Like the Healthy Americans Act, the Obama plan appears to ensure that every American has quality, affordable private health coverage similar to what Members of Congress have. Both plans also emphasize prevention and … Continue Reading
May 22, 2007
Wyden, Brownback Propose Bill to Keep Internet Radio in Play
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) today proposed legislation to keep Internet radio alive by vacating a Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) decision that could increase Internet radio sound recording royalties by 300 percent to 1,200 percent.According to an Arbitron and Edison Media Research, 52 million people listened to Internet radio at least once a month in 2006. Bridge Ratings and Research predicts that number will double within three years and reach … Continue Reading
May 22, 2007
Senators: Provision Seeks to Help Colleges, High Schools Buy Nanotechnology Equipment through Grants
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Kerry (D-MA), Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) have successfully added a provision to U.S. competitiveness legislation to authorize the use of National Science Foundation grant funds to acquire nanotechnology equipment and software designed for teaching students about nanotechnology in the classroom."I have seen the nanotechnology equipment that folks will be able to use these funds to purchase, and it will help attract talented … Continue Reading
May 22, 2007
Wyden Statement on New Health System Comparisons Report by the Commonweal Fund
Washington, D.C. - "This new report confirms what I hear from folks at town hall meetings all across Oregon: they want access to quality health care that can't be taken away, even if they lose or change their job," said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Finance Committee. "We have the best health care professionals in the world. We spend enough money on health care. We just don't spend it in the right places. Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT) and I and two of our House colleagues have … Continue Reading
