Public Policy Resources

Information on environmental issues is continually changing and the following are links to help you stay current on these issues:

Library of Congress

  • Get the latest information on any bill, committee or legislator in the US Congress.

Aquatic Policy Updates from American Society of Limnology & Oceanography (ASLO)

  • Summarized monthly from the three branches of the US Government and relevant nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The focus is policy developed in Washington, DC with relevance to the entire United States. Regional issues are included if the policy has greater ramifications than the local jurisdiction.

eNotes from National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)

  • Weekly News Briefs from NACD focused on policy news from NRCS, USDA and other federal agencies of relevance to conservation districts. Published every Tuesday. NACD also publishes monthly BufferNotes and Forestry Notes.

State Environmental Resource Center (SERC)

  • SERC focuses on state-level legislative environmental initiatives and offers a free weekly e-mail newsletter.

Environmental News Network (ENN)

  • ENN is a free-access Web site with daily news reports on national and international environmental issues.

Environmental News Service (ENS)

  • The ENS Newswire is a subscription-based Web site with daily news reports on a variety of environmental issues

Contact your Member of Congress

The US Congress' web site, Thomas, contains a wealth of information including Congressional contacts, who's on what committee, track bills, and go to your state government home page to get the same kind of information at the state level.

The U.S. Government Web site at (http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/) provides current news, access to federal agencies, information on federal commissions, councils and advisory groups, links to Congress, and links to the Judicial Branch, which includes the Supreme Court and its searchable databases of federal court decisions.

Another Web site (http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/usexec.html), provides access to a searchable database for federal rules (Code of Federal Regulations).

Tips on writing your Congressman/woman:

A good letter has three components:

  1. Identify the issue in the first paragraph - use bill number if you know it.
  2. Tell why it is important - use local examples they can relate to.
  3. Say what action you would like them to take.

Be courteous, be to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position. Address only one issue per letter, and try to keep it to one or two pages.

Additional Links of Interest

EPA Program Links

Other Federal Agency Links

Other Organizations with Legislative Background & Updates