U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8), who for years has been consistently fighting for New Jersey's fair share of federal disaster aid, proudly announced a $2,540,000 grant has been awarded to the State of New Jersey.

"The Garden State saw historic flooding and severe weather last year. I am heartened that the federal government's commitment to helping the affected people and communities didn't end with President Obama's visit to Paterson and a couple other towns last summer," said Pascrell, a co-chair of the Congressional Hurricane Irene Coalition. "This funding comes at a good time as New Jersey communities continue to recover from last year's damage, while trying to anticipate what could happen in the year ahead. No matter what happens, New Jersey residents can count on me to fight for every dollar of federal disaster aid we need."

The $2,540,000 in funding includes $1,170,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program. The EWP funding –  which is divided allocating $975,000 for financial assistance and $195,000 for technical assistance – helps efforts to remove debris from waterways, protect eroded stream banks, reseed damaged areas, and in some cases, purchase floodplain easements on eligible land. The grant to New Jersey is part of a $215.7 million total allocation to the EWP program.

The $2,540,000 grant also includes $1,370,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) program, which helps remove debris from farmland, restore livestock fences and conservation structures. The grant to New Jersey is part of an $80 million total allocation to the ECP program.

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