Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service will send an additional $66.8 million in Emergency Watershed Protection Program funds to help disaster recovery efforts in 15 states.
The funding will help communities implement much needed recovery projects to address watershed damage caused by floods, drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters that occurred in 2012 and 2013, Vilsack said.
The largest portion of the funds will go to Colorado, which will receive more than $19 million for recovery from one of the worst fire seasons in the state's history. In 2012, more than 200,000 acres burned, taking more than 600 homes and other structures with them. Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin will receive the rest of the funds.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com