WYDEN CALLS FOR DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR WINEGRAPE GROWERS

October 22, 2020 3:15 a.m.

On Wednesday, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden asked Senate appropriators to provide additional disaster assistance for winegrape growers devasted by smoke during this year’s destructive wildfire season.

A release said in 2019, a disaster relief package approved by Congress provided $3 million through the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program, for growers whose grapes were damaged by wildfires in 2018 and 2019. Due to the fact that wildfires have burned millions of acres of lands throughout western states and caused heavy layers of smoke in 2020, winegrape growers now require the same assistance, according to Wyden.

Wyden said the wine industry has been hurt by the fires, leaving many growers unable to sell their smoke-tainted product. The release said exposure to smoke particles can dramatically change the flavor of wine grapes, rendering them unusable in the winemaking process.

Ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Jeff Merkley is also from Oregon.