U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley came to the University of Oregon Friday, Sept. 16, for a roundtable discussion on the growing problem of wildfire smoke in Oregon communities and how academic research and practice can help address the issue.
Merkley, an Oregon Democrat and chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, earmarked $800,000 to the Environmental Protection Agency in March to establish a new Center for Wildfire Smoke Research and Practice at the University of Oregon.
The UO is in the process of applying for the funds and awaiting EPA approval, said Cassandra Moseley, vice provost for academic operations and strategy and a research professor in the Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities and the Environment. The new center is expected to launch sometime in 2023, she said.