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After reviewing the policy page and resources, one of the most effective ways you can bring science to policymakers is to establish relationships with your government officials wherever you are.
In the U.S., for example, citizens can get to know their Senators, Members of Congress and agency officials working on issues they care about most. Under "Policy Tools and Guidelines for SCB Members" on the navigation bar to the left, we have web sites for offices and research reports to help guide you through the international and U.S. federal policy ecosystems. U.S. SCB members may also want to call the Capitol Operator at 202-225-3121, and ask to be connected to the offices of your House Members and Senators and Committees of interest. |
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New Chairmen for U.S. House International Relations and
Senate Foreign Relations Committees
Fundamental changes in the 110th Congress will affect environmental policy
not only in the United States, but around the world. This Congress is
at least beginning to dedicate itself to the rule of law and its own rules
of procedure, to science's preeminent place in policy, and to addressing
the United States' responsibilities as an integral member of the community
of nations. For example, Tom Lantos (Democrat of California), the new
chair of the House International Relations Committee, not only has a strong
record on the environment but was born in Hungary and survived the holocaust.
He is acutely aware of the benefits that international law and diplomacy
can bring to the world. In the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican and former committee
chair, and the committee's current chair, Joe Biden (Democrat of Delaware),
are internationalists who led the committee's approval of the Convention
on Biological Diversity by a vote of 16-3 in 1994. That vote occurred
just before Senator Jesse Helms (Republican of North Carolina) prevented
ratification of the treaty by threatening to bring all Senate action to
a halt. Helms is now retired.
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