Like any representative system, the US political system gives citizens the right to exert a certain influence on public policy. One of the real ways to strengthen such influence on public policy development is organized work with like-minded people. Such interaction of people with a common opinion agreement on a wide range of issues and political goals leads to the formation of political parties. When such an organization joins a group on a small number of related issues or a specific issue, this leads to creating a group with special interests. Such a group begins to lobby its interests to influence policy development and lawmaking. This work will consider lobbying on the example of an organization such as the Sierra Club.
Sierra Club is the oldest and one of the largest and most influential public environmental organizations in the United States and the world. It was established on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, on the initiative of the most prominent public figure and conservationist, John Muir, who became its first president and dealt only with the preservation of the natural resources of the state of California. In the 1960s, the Sierra Club became a national environmental organization, and by the mid-1970s, it had branches throughout the country and in Canada and other countries (Coley and Schachle 189). Sierra Club took an active part in preparing the Wildlife Law adopted in 1964. Moreover, it was not just sending comments, suggestions, recommendations, or approving a draft law. Sierra Club has done a lot of preparatory work related to studying vast territories and the degree of their human development.
The Sierra Club has independently established several foundations: charitable and legal protection. Additionally, the club has opened branches in all 50 states. To date, the organization continues to advocate for environmental protection. It has a serious influence (lobbying) on local, state, and federal agencies in environmental management. Such organizations occupy a worthy place in political governance and make it possible to conduct a competent environmental policy in the United States.
Work Cited
Coley, Jonathan S., and Jessica Schachle. “Growing the Green Giant: Ecological Threats, Political Threats, and US Membership in Sierra Club, 1892–Present.” Social Sciences, vol. 10 no. 6, 2021, pp. 189-190.