The Oregon congressional delegation continues to make funding for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) subduction zone science budget a priority for the FY26 federal budget cycle. 

In a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the US House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, members of the Oregon and Washington delegations voiced their support for $8 million to be provided to the USGS for subduction zone science.

The letter was led by Congresswoman Val Hoyle (D-OR) and signed by Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Janelle Bynum (D-OR), and Maxine Dexter (D-OR). Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) also joined the letter supporting this critical funding.

The Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) is the first center of its kind in the nation. With support from the National Science Foundation, the center focuses on earthquakes at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides beneath another. The center unites scientists studying the possible impacts of a major earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone, an offshore tectonic plate boundary that stretches more than 1,000 kilometers from southern British Columbia to northern California. The goal of CRESCENT is to advance earthquake research, foster community partnerships, and train the next generation of the geosciences workforce.

Congress has begun work on the FY26 appropriations bills, with hearings beginning in the House in June.