Friends of the Earth



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		OCTOBER 29, 1998 12:08 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Friends of the Earth Lynn Erskine (202) 783-7400 x255 David Hirsch (202) 783-7400 x215

		Georgia Group Receives "Road Warrior" Award; Friends of the Earth Honors Georgians for Transportation Alternatives for Work to Prevent Sprawl-inducing Road Projects

		WASHINGTON - October 29 - Friends of the Earth today honored Georgians for Transportation Alternatives with the Road Warrior Award for their work fighting for environmentally sound transportation and land use strategies. The Road Warrior Award, which salutes grassroots efforts to halt traffic growth and urban sprawl, was given to the group as a representative of a larger coalition of organizations working to improve Georgia's air quality and transportation options. "Georgians for Transportation Alternatives has done heroic work to improve local communities through better transportation policy," said Brent Blackwelder, President of Friends of the Earth. "They stand out as leaders in the struggle to reduce Georgia's traffic congestion and to improve air quality." Recently, Georgians for Transportation Alternatives (GTA), working in collaboration with other groups, scored a major victory by forcing the Georgia Department of Transportation to change their plans for a new road in the Atlanta region. By carefully reviewing the plans, GTA and the Southern Environmental Law Center were able to show that the project plans had changed since they had last been reviewed, which violated federal law. For more information about Georgians for Transportation Alternative, see the attached description. Friends of the Earth, a national environmental organization, gives the Road Warrior Award on a quarterly basis to organizations or individuals working to stop destructive and poorly planned road projects that threaten the environment. The next award will be given in Winter 1999. The Road Warrior Award recipient was chosen by the Road Warrior Award Advisory Committee, which consists of: David Hirsch, Friends of the Earth; Hooper Brooks, Surdna Foundation; John Holtzclaw, Sierra Club; Laura Olsen, Surface Transportation Policy Project; and Michael Replogle, Environmental Defense Fund. Founded in 1969, Friends of the Earth is a national environmental advocacy organization with affiliates in 58 countries. For more information, please see our website at <http://www.foe.org>. -- end -- Road Warrior Award Autumn 1998 Georgians for Transportation Alternatives Georgians for Transportation Alternatives Profile: Founded in 1993, Georgians for Transportation Alternatives (GTA) promotes transportation options and land use strategies that encourage cohesive local communities and enhance accessibility and livability, while reducing vehicle miles traveled, improving air quality and reclaiming personal time. Together with groups such as the Georgia Conservancy, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Federation of Georgia Homeowners, the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety, the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund, GTA has been working to reform regional transportation policy and spending. Friends of the Earth is presenting this award to GTA to honor the accomplishments of all of these groups working to make Georgia a better place to live. In 1998, GTA worked to initiate a federal review process of transportation projects "grand-fathered" into state plans. Many transportation projects that have been long-planned are grand-fathered so they do not have to face new environmental and other reviews. But projects that have been significantly altered no longer qualify and the state must review them to ensure they comply with environmental, air quality, and other plans. Working with other groups in the region, GTA was successful in showing that one grand-fathered road had been changed and would need to be reviewed. Facing this obstacle, the Georgia Department of Transportation dropped its current plans, and initiated a review of other grandfathered projects. Careful monitoring of transportation plans is one of the ways GTA and the organizations listed above monitor and participate in the planning and decision-making process of government agencies. The Atlanta region has gained a national reputation for demonstrating the downsides of uncontrolled growth, unrelenting traffic congestion and unhealthy air. GTA, and the organizations listed above, are making great strides to put Atlanta on the track toward a sustainable transportation system that enhances, rather than degrades, the region. For more information, contact: Jim Chapman, Georgians for Transportation Alternatives (404) 653-0966 David Hirsch, Friends of the Earth (202) 783-7400 x215