EASTERN OREGON ECONOMIC SUMMIT
A11 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2022
Merkley sees federal role in solving local issues
“Economic development is
on everybody’s minds, as
well as the immediate
economic issues of gas
prices, food prices and drug
prices.”
BY ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
Sen. Jeff Merkley on Friday, June 17,
advocated for using the federal govern-
ment to find solutions to local prob-
lems in the wake of the pandemic.
“It’s been a tough two years,” he told
the crowd after he stepped onstage
during the second day of the 2022
Eastern Oregon Economic Summit in
Hermiston.
Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep.
Cliff Bentz also participated, but they
streamed in via video.
Merkely spoke of the difficulty of
the pandemic years, the pains of lock-
downs and the struggles of school
children who suffered isolation. He
also mentioned the recent flooding in
Echo, which he was planning to visit
later in the day, as well as supply chain
problems, inflation and global warm-
ing.
Still, he maintained, there were
solutions to our problems. Rising gas
prices, for example could be addressed
by reducing “our addiction to oil.” By
opening more ports, we can fix supply
chain woes. And earmarking govern-
ment funds for various government
projects also can help.
Merkley said we are planning for a
brighter future.
The Eastern Oregon Women’s Coa-
lition organized the event June 16 and
17 in Hermiston. The general session
was June 17 at Hermiston High School
and open to the public.
Following his speech, Merkley re-
tired to a classroom at the school,
— U.S. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
Yasser Marte/Hermiston Herald
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley talks to city officials at the East Oregon Economic Summit on Friday morning June 17, 2022.
where he met with individuals and
talked more.
“Economic development is on ev-
erybody’s minds, as well as the imme-
diate economic issues of gas prices,
food prices and drug prices,” he said.
He called it “shocking” that hous-
ing and gas prices have risen quickly.
Drugs, too, are expensive, he said,
which worries people. He said he is
fighting in Congress for solutions, in-
cluding for a windfall profits tax.
“I hope we’ll be in a better place in a
year,” he said.
Merkley also said he was aware
of issues in Umatilla and Morrow
counties. He said he helped secure a
$500,000 community-initiated project
grant for Echo for water infrastructure
and was visiting the town later June 17
to see flooding damage.
“What I’m anticipating is that they’re
going to need a lot of repair work that
will involve the Corps of Engineers,”
he said. “I’ll be looking to their guid-
ance, but if they are seeking to apply,
Sen. Wyden and I, and I’m sure Cliff
Bentz, will advocate to get help from
the Corps of Engineers and hopefully
funding to improve their protection
from the next big rain impact.”
Merkley also discussed groundwater
pollution in Morrow County.
“It’s a very big deal,” he said. “Nitrate
pollution has a lot of health implica-
tions.”
Merkley said he was planning to
meet with Morrow County Commis-
sioner Jim Doherty, who has been get-
ting surveys of wells in his county and
has been discovering dangerous levels
of nitrates in well water.
Merkley called this a problem that
has been known for decades. It is only
now, he said, that local officials are tak-
ing it seriously.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how I
can help them out,” he said.
And he left a message for the people
of Eastern Oregon.
“Our future depends on our invest-
ment in infrastructure and our invest-
ment in education,” he said. “In the
meantime, though, we have a lot of
problems from the droughts, from the
fires, from the conditions in our for-
ests, and I’m going to be working with
local communities on tackling those
problems from every direction I can.”
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