SACRAMENTO (AP) — Government agencies around the country will no longer have to remove trees and other vegetation from levees to qualify for disaster relief funding under a new interim policy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced.Under the previous policy, the state of California had faced millions of dollars in removal costs to qualify for levee repair grants in the event of a flood, the Sacramento Bee reported Tuesday.In 2011, California sued the corps, saying it didn’t follow federal environmental laws when it required the removal of most trees and shrubs on federal levees. Environmental groups that want to preserve levee vegetation in Idaho and California also sued over the previous policy.A federal judge in 2012 struck down a motion by the corps to dismiss that case. The federal flood-control agency now says it will continue to inspect levies but will not withhold disaster funding if vegetation standards are not met.