Republican Trent Lott has registered as lobbyist for Smart Growth America, an environmental group dedicated to building sustainable communities to combat suburban sprawl.
The former Senate Majority Leader is a member of Patton Boggs’ lobbying team that is working on transportation and housing issues for the coalition that includes Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund and National Wildlife Federation.
SGA suffered a blow last month when Congress eliminated funding for the Sustainable Communities Initiative, a collaborative program of the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency and Dept. of Transportation.
Geoffrey Anderson, CEO of SGA, called the Initiative a program that can save millions in federal infrastructure funding by promoting construction of homes that people can afford near jobs and schools. He ran the EPA’s “Smart Growth” program for eight years before joining SGA.
Lott, former Senator from Mississippi, and John Breaux, ex-Democratic Senator from Louisiana, sold their Breaux Lott Leadership Group to Patton Boggs in July 2010.