California’s giant swamp rodent problem on track to get a lift from Congress

Modesto Bee –

It looks like California is about to get a lot more money to eradicate giant swamp rats that have infiltrated the Central Valley. The House of Representatives is voting Friday on a bill that includes a $2 billion pot of money that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can tap into to both kill the rats, called nutria, and restore environments they’ve destroyed. It’s an increase of $500 million over last year’s funding to combat nutria, and it’s the first time California will be able to access the money.