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Washington, D.C. - As part of his ongoing effort to secure assistance for the victims of this year's flood in New York, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded the state $2,259,000 million in farm aid. The funds come from the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and were announced as part of a larger national package for disaster assistance.
"While we are grateful for this new allocation of more than $2.25 million to help farmers rehabilitate their damaged land and crops, New York needs much greater assistance to fully recover from this devastating flood," Hinchey said. "Farmers play a critical role in New York's economy and identity as a state. Given how significant this flood was to an extended part of the country, one would think that the Bush administration would immediately recognize the need to allocate significant federal aid for recovery efforts. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. We will continue to fight for the assistance that is needed to get all New Yorkers, including farmers, back on their feet again."
New York's branch of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) had requested $4 million in ECP funds through the national FSA, so while Hinchey welcomed the aid, he noted that it still fell short of what was needed. ECP funds are used to provide emergency funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought.
Hinchey expressed strong disappointment that the USDA did not also announce funding for the Emergency Watershed Program, which relieves imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural occurrences. The Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) New York branch had identified $33 million worth of needs that could be met through this program.
Hinchey is the leader of a bipartisan group of 12 House members from the states affected by the recent flood who have called on President Bush to submit an emergency assistance request to Congress that would extend relief well beyond what has already been allocated. Specifically, Hinchey and his colleagues requested that the president submit a disaster relief package that would provide aid for water infrastructure improvements, farmers, and overall economic recovery to help hospitals, schools, and non-profit organizations who need additional support.
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