SACRAMENTO - A water and energy bill containing more than $28 million for flood control measures for the Sacramento region -- including $10 million for a new Folsom Bridge -- took a giant step toward approval this week.

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the conference report for the Energy and Water Development Act of 2006, which allots hundreds of millions of dollars toward projects nationally, would allocate:

$5 million to raise Folsom Dam
$9.55 million to modify the outlets at Folsom Dam
$10 million for the development and construction of a new Folsom Bridge
$4.4 million for other improvements along the American River.
The bill still needs approval by the U.S. Senate.

Subsection (a) of the Conference Report HR 2419 directs the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation to "coordinate technical reviews, joint planning, and preliminary design work for flood damage reduction improvements and dam safety needs at Folsom Dam and Reservoir."

The new bridge will be built as a permanent replacement for Folsom Dam Road, which was closed due to fear of terrorist attacks on the dam.

"From day one, I have been adamant in my approach to secure the timely construction of the new Folsom Bridge and the modifications to Folsom Dam due to credible security concerns," said Rep. Dan Lungren in a statement. "In the wake of the catastrophic destruction in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, it is imperative that the Sacramento region receive funding to help prevent such a disaster, which is why I placed these expenditures on the top of the very short list of projects I sought funds for.

The bill also contains $1 million for "an updated economic analysis of costs and benefits" of Auburn Dam, which Lungren supports.