Press Releases
Wyden, Smith Introduce Mount Hood and Columbia River Gorge Wilderness Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith today will introduce legislation to permanently protect more than 128,000 acres of wilderness on Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge - an increase of almost 70 percent over existing wilderness protections.The Senators' bill also would grant Wild and Scenic River protections to more than 80 additional miles of rivers in Oregon. It would create more than 18,000 acres of Mount Hood National Recreation Areas, improving access for … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Sen. Wyden co-sponsors no permanent bases resolution for Iraq
Washington, DC U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today signed on as a co-sponsor of an amendment to express the sense of Congress that the United States should not establish permanent military bases in Iraq or exercise control over the natural resources of Iraq. The provision will be offered as an amendment to the emergency supplemental appropriations bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate."We need to send a message to the Iraqi people and the rest of the world that the United States is not in … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden slams Administrationproposal for salmon disaster relief
Newport, OR - After meeting with commercial fishers in Newport to discuss the Administration's latest response to the salmon fishery crisis, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today blasted the Commerce Department for proposing Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to help salmon fishers instead of direct aid or a declaration of a commercial fishery failure."What our fishing communities needed to hear from the Secretary of Commerce is that real help is on the way now," Wyden said. "Instead, our … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden Blocks Two Interior Department Nominees over County Payments Funding
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, keeping his promise to block Administration nominees until there is "an acceptable way to fully fund county payments," today placed a "hold" on the nominations of two Interior Department nominees: John Ray Correll, nominated to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and Mark Myers, nominated to be a Director of the United States Geological Survey. The county payments law provides vital funding for rural schools, roads … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Grassley, Senate Rules Committee Leaders Announce Offensive Against Secret Holds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Trent Lott (R-MS) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) today announced a new offensive against the Senate's practice of secret holds, under which a single Senator can block legislation or a nominee without revealing his or her identity.Wyden has worked with Grassley for more than a decade to end the practice of secret holds. Their amendment requiring a Senator who places a hold to make it public within three days was included in the … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
U.S. Senate passes Defense spending bill with millionsfor Oregon nanotech, other defense projects
Washington, D.C. - The full U.S. Senate last night approved its Defense appropriations bill, which includes millions of dollars in funding for Oregon projects advocated by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith. In addition to more than $11 million for Oregon nanotechnology projects through the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), the legislation includes significant funding for research and development of new medical, energy and other technologies with the potential … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
White House budget proposes 50% cutto County Payments funding
Portland, Ore. The Administration today released its FY2007 budget plan, which includes a 50 percent funding cut to the successful Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (or county payments). Under the White House proposal, Oregon counties would see a $650 million reduction, including $85 million that currently goes into Oregon classrooms.Governing is about priorities, and this proposal to cut funding to rural counties by 50 percent tells rural Oregon that were not very … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden: Intelligence Reports Overclassified, Public Should Have Access to More
Washington, DC - Following the Senate Intelligence Committee's release of two of five planned reports on pre-war Iraq intelligence, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today criticized the excessive classification of the report and said he would urge an independent board that oversees classification of information to review the documents to determine if in fact too much was kept secret.Wyden, who serves on the Intelligence Committee, said he would ask the Public Interest Declassification Board to examine … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden Urges Senate Energy Panel to Bring Kempthorne to Hill to Answer Questions about Interior Ethics Abuses
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of a scathing Inspector General's report and news accounts alleging serious charges against personnel at the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today urged the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to hold a hearing so that Senators may question Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne about the allegations and what he has done to address ethics problems since becoming Secretary.Wyden, a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Bond, Senators Ask for Review of Classified Information in Senate Intelligence Report, Say Documents Were Overclassified
Washington, DC - A bipartisan group of Senators who serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee today asked an independent board that oversees classification of information to review the documents to determine if in fact too much was kept secret in the recently released Senate Intelligence reports.in a letter to the head of the Public Interest Declassification Board, the Senators wrote, "The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on which we serve, recently released two reports addressing … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden to Hold Up EPA NomineeOver High Levels of Benzene in Oregon, Northwest
Portland - Saying that Oregon and the Northwest could be hurt - not helped - by a proposed new federal rule regarding the amount of the cancer-causing chemical benzene that can be in gasoline, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today said he would hold up the confirmation of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) General Counsel nominee Roger Martella unless the rule is changed to protect Oregonians and others in the Northwest.According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Smith-Wyden Unveil Health Care Plan
PORTLAND, OR - Today, U.S. Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) unveiled a proposal creating a pilot program to give access to provide health insurance to uninsured Americans and those with catastrophic health care costs. The Catastrophic Health Coverage Promotion Act creates at least four state-based pilot projects that target the uninsured and individuals with catastrophic … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden Calls for Investigation of Chinese Hardwood Plywood Issue, Says Practices Are Hurting U.S, Oregon Industries
Washington, D.C. Noting that approximately 70 percent of North Americas hardwood plywood is manufactured by companies headquartered in Oregon, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today called on three federal agencies to investigate alleged abuses by the Chinese that have greatly harmed the domestic hardwood plywood industry.Nearly 2,000 Oregonians work in the hardwood plywood industry.In separate letters to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden addresses national coalition,continues drumbeat for county payments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today called on Congress and the Administration to make a fully-funded, long-term extension of the county payments law a top priority in the year ahead. Wyden's remarks came at a speech before the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition conference in Washington, D.C., today."We need to remind the rest of Congress and the Administration how much these funds mean to rural communities - for schools, for roads, and for basic county operations," … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden Amendment to End Secret Holds Approved by Senate
Washington, DC - After nearly a decade-long effort, the Senate today passed an amendment by a vote of 84-13 to end the process of secret holds championed by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), along with Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Ken Salazar (D-Colo.). The Wyden-Grassley-Inhofe-Salazar amendment requires a Senator who intends to object to a unanimous consent request to publish in the Congressional Record within three days a notice of the objection. It does not … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Salmon Fisheries Failure DeclaredEfforts turn to securing funding
Portland, OR - U.S. Department of Commerce officials met with Oregon salmon fishermen today and declared a salmon fisheries failure. The declaration reinforces Senators Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) and Ron Wyden's (D-OR) efforts to secure direct aid for the fishermen."Oregon's fishermen now have priority for aid," Smith said. "The declaration clears the way for federal funds to be distributed to the fishermen and businesses supported by salmon fishing. I am going to continue pressing … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden: "It's d?j? vu all over again."
Washington, D.C. - As already reported voting difficulties continue to frustrate voters in another decisive election, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden renewed his proposal to simplify the way Americans vote. Wyden has introduced legislation to provide funds to help states adopt Vote by Mail election systems, such as Oregon's. "The great Yogi Berra said it best: 'It's Déjà vu all over again.' Except instead of the boys of October, we're talking about the long lines and … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Smith Propose More than 125,000 Acres for Wilderness Designation on Mount Hood and in Columbia River Gorge
Portland, OR - More than two decades after the last wilderness areas were added to protect Mount Hood, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith today unveiled their bipartisan proposal to permanently protect more than 125,000 acres of wilderness on Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge - an increase of almost 70 percent over existing wilderness protections. It also would grant Wild and Scenic River protections to an additional 79.8 miles of rivers in Oregon and create more than 18,000 … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden provision keeps companieswith ailing pension plans from hoardingcash for executives
Washington, DC A provision championed by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden to keep companies with significantly under-funded employee pension plans from locking away retirement funds for top company executives was included in a major pension reform bill passed by the full U.S. Senate late last night."Everyones retirement savings, whether theyre an executive or an entry-level employee, should be treated fairly, Wyden said. This provision will ensure that if a companys pension plan is in financial … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden blocks Telecom Legislationover ineffective net neutrality provision
Washington, DC-U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced that he has placed a "hold" on major telecommunications legislation recently approved by the Senate Commerce Committee until clear language is included in the legislation that prevents discrimination in Internet access. The legislation as currently written does not provide an effective policy on net neutrality, and instead opens the Internet up to large telecommunications companies and cable providers to charge consumers and small … Continue Reading
