Funds offer much needed boost to Vermont farmers and property owners
updated
Wed, Jan 25, 2012 01:37 PM
Vermont's congressional delegation - Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) - announced
Jan. 18 that Vermont will receive nearly $8.7 million for two flood
relief programs integral to helping Vermont farmers and property
owners recover from Tropical Storm Irene.
Vermont will receive $6,300,000 for the Emergency Watershed
Protection Program (EWP) and $2,325,000 for the Emergency
Conservation Program (ECP). Both programs are administered by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
EWP assists property owners whose homes are threatened by flooded
rivers, helping to stabilize stream banks and protect foundations
and houses from further flood damage. EWP also provides resources
for clearing log jams that threaten property and public
infrastructure. ECP provides emergency funding and technical
assistance for farmers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural
disasters.
Leahy said, "These USDA programs address recovery needs available
from no other federal source, and there was a long waiting list
after Irene. I was proud to work with other members of the
Appropriations Committee to include funds for these vital programs,
and I am pleased that USDA staff in Vermont moved promptly to
implement the program after the floods."
Sanders said, "I am very pleased that Secretary Vilsack has acted
quickly to award a significant allocation of these much-needed
federal disaster funds to help the hundreds of Vermont farmers
whose fields were damaged by Tropical Storm Irene, and to help many
other property owners across the state whose properties are
threatened by unstable stream banks."
Welch, who made funding of these programs a top priority in the
House, said, "Tropical Storm Irene severely damaged hundreds of
farms and permanently altered the landscape for countless property
owners. As Vermonters work to get back on their feet, these funds
will provide a much-needed boost."
Tagged:
Flood Relief, EWP, ECP, USDA
