Focus Points

What is Government Relations? 

Government Relations is how organizations communicate with governments to educate lawmakers on how proposed legislation, policies, or regulations could affect the organization's mission  or the lawmaker's constituents.

How does Government Relations Work?

  • Establish legislative priorities 

  • Track legislation around key issues 

  • Educate government officials about key issues (building relationships)

  • Grassroots engagement 

  • Measure and evaluate government relations strategy 

Georgia WAND monitors activities and policy decisions that affect the Savannah River Site (SRS), nuclear power plants, and the environment. We translate technical information about nuclear weapons and waste, its effects on national security, and its environmental impacts into terms that are meaningful to our members and to the communities near nuclear facilities. Our involvement with the international Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) and IEER (Institute for Energy and Environmental Research) over the past decade strengthens our capability to disseminate updated and detailed information in a timely fashion that can enable communities to organize and take action. 

As a compliment to our environmental justice work, we maintain working relations with our peace and justice, human rights and civil rights, and more traditional environmental community partners: Church Women United, Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America, Altamaha Riverkeeper, both Georgia and South Carolina Sierra Clubs and their radiation committees, the Georgia River Network, Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, Aiken Peace, South Carolina and Georgia League of Women Voters, Georgia Organics, and Georgia STAND UP (to name a few). We have intensified our working relationships and cooperative partnerships with Friends of the Earth, other strong members of Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, and women state legislators, especially in Georgia.

For more information about Georgia WAND’s Government Relations and Public Policy work contact Andrea Young Jones at andrea@georgiawand.org