U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has introduced a Senate version of the Small Business Environmental Stewardship Assistance Act. This is the bill, first introduced in the House, that would provide $50 million annually, each of the next five years, to plant urban trees and expand urban forests. The Oregon Association of Nurseries quickly praised Wyden and the other members of the Oregon delegation, all of whom support the idea:

“Introduction of this bill demonstrates that our Oregon delegation understands that trees mean jobs,” said Jeff Stone, OAN’s Director of Government Relations. “We hope to see quick action so our growers and landscape professionals can support job creation and tree planting initiatives across the country.”

U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) introduced the House version, with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and David Wu (D-Ore.) cosponsoring. The Senate version is co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).