SGA is currently engaged in three main efforts on Capitol Hill:

What you can do

(1) Call your in-district office to set up a meeting.
(2) Call your member's DC office and ask to speak to the staffer working on transportation.
(3) Fax a letter to your Member's office. (You can download a sample letter for climate here (.doc), and complete streets here. (.doc)
(4) Add your organization's name to our complete streets and climate sign on letters, which you can download and preview at right. Send an email to advocacy@smartgrowthamerica.org or contact Stephanie Potts at 202-207-3355 x25 to do this.
(5) Tell others to contact their Members of Congress and sign on to a letter of support.

And lastly, be sure to sign up for our regular Action Alerts, notifying you of the latest news and developments with federal policy -- and what you can do about it.

Complete Streets: The Senate version of the Complete Streets bill was introduced last week by Senators Tom Harkin (IA) and Tom Carper (DE), S. 2686. Ask your Senators to sign on today.

Climate: Our work to include smart growth funding in the Lieberman-Warner climate bill has made some good progress recently, thanks in part to your lobby meetings! Senator Boxer has said she wants to make some changes to the bill to include 'direct funding for cities to help with transportation planning and energy efficiency.' Also, Senators Carper, Ben Cardin (MD), and Frank Lautenberg (NJ) committed to push together for the Lieberman-Warner bill to target more funding for smart growth and providing transportation choices.

Can you ask your Senators to contact Senator Boxer and urge her to include support for smart growth, transit, and other strategies to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the bill? Having Senate staff contact the Environment and Public Works Committee staff with this message would also be helpful.

EPA Smart Growth Budget: The House and Senate have wrapped up their budgets for next year, so the next step is the crucial appropriations process. We're working to get Dear Colleague letters circulating in the House and Senate urging appropriators to boost funding for the EPA Smart Growth budget to $7 million. Please urge your Senators and Representatives to sign on to these letters when they're introduced, and to contact the appropriations committee to express support for the program's increased funding.

Complete Streets: The House version of Complete Streets legislation, sponsored by Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA), is expected to be introduced within the next two weeks, and the office is looking for cosponsors now. Interested Representatives can contact Sam Stefanki in Rep. Matsui's office.

Climate: Congressman Dingell (MI) is still expected to introduce climate legislation shortly. His latest white paper on the topic includes a mention of the importance of smart growth and transportation choices, which is promising. Please urge your Representatives to weigh in with Congressman Dingell and his energy committee staff to target funding for smart growth and transportation choices.

EPA Smart Growth Budget: Same as the Senate above.

Click the buttons below to find your members of Congress.

• Talking points (pdf)
• Complete Streets fact sheet (pdf)
• Table of existing policies (pdf)
• More Complete Streets fact sheets
• Sign-on letter (pdf)
• Latest press coverage

• Talking points on linking smart growth to Lieberman-Warner
• Energy Security and Climate Change fact sheet (pdf)
• VMT sign-on letter (doc)
• Sample letter to Sen. Boxer (doc)
• Chart of transportation dollars generated by Lieberman-Warner (pdf)
• (Page 2) Chart of transportation dollars from Lieberman-Warner (pdf)

• And visit the SGA Climate and Energy page to learn more about smart growth, climate, and energy

• EPA Budget talking points (pdf)
• EPA Budget Fact sheet (pdf)
• Table of EPA's Smart Growth technical assistance (pdf)