Senate bill approval sets up negotiations to reconcile differences with the House to develop final legislation.

WRDA bill authorizes $4.8 billion for Corps of Engineers projects.

Measure authorizes 12 Army Corps of Engineers construction projects totaling roughly $4.8 billion.

Measure authorizes $2.3B for eight new or modified Corps projects.

Lawmakers are moving ahead with plans for new legislation authorizing billions of dollars for flood protection, harbor dredging, river locks and dams, ecosystem restoration and other projects.

Long-planned $878.5-million project at Howard A. Hanson Dam, which gained new federal funding, would open 100 miles of the upper Green River for salmon spawning and rearing.

The measure approved by the House panel would authorize about $25 billion for new Corps construction projects, including $19.2 billion for a major hurricane and flood protection plan in coastal Texas.

 The committee cleared the new Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, on May 4, by a 20-0 vote.

The measure would authorize $24.6 billion in federal funds for 21 Army Corps of Engineers projects covering flood and hurricane protection, harbor dredging and other related efforts across the country.