Media Releases
Biden promises action on climate change during event at former coal plant
President Joe Biden took his campaign to slow down climate change and speed up our transition to clean energy to the site of the former Brayton Point coal-fired power plant on Wednesday.
New list: Approaching 11th anniversary, top 11 actions CFPB recently took that anger financial industry
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) turns 11 years old, a new list from U.S. PIRG highlights 11 ways this crucial agency has rededicated itself to its mission since Rohit Chopra was confirmed as its new director by the Senate last fall.
New data: Auto insurance companies made windfall profits at consumers’ expense during pandemic
Auto insurance companies’ profits soared during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many Illinoisans were driving less and “sheltering in place.” The risks associated with driving plummeted but insurers did not lower premiums or offer rebates in proportion to the reduction in risk, according to new data released by the Illinois Department of Insurance Thursday.
Reinstated ‘polluter pays’ tax goes into effect, protecting Americans from toxic waste
A chemical excise tax to fund Superfund toxic waste site cleanups nationwide will go into effect on Friday, reinstating one of several “polluter pays” taxes that had been allowed to lapse 26 years ago. The EPA’s Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up the country’s most hazardous waste sites.
Release: New policy in effect erasing paid medical debt from credit reports
Consumer tips on how to check your credit report accuracy
Department of the Interior will end plastic pollution in parks, public lands
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland issued an order on Wednesday, World Oceans Day, to phase out single-use plastic products on lands managed by the Department of the Interior by 2032. The order is intended to reduce -- and eventually eliminate -- plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery and disposable plastic bags at national parks and on other public lands.
Growing number of Amazon shareholders support putting the planet over plastic
Release: Consumer groups, health experts call for changes to accelerated drug approval in FDA reform bill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will mark up a discussion draft on the Food and Drug Administration’s user fee legislation next week. In response, U.S. PIRG joined over 35 health experts and other advocacy groups in a letter released on Friday recommending stronger enforcement of post-market clinical trials for accelerated approval drugs to better protect patients.
EPA opens applications, announces guidelines for $5 billion Clean School Bus Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is unveiling its historic, $5 billion Clean School Bus Program on Friday. This new program, created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden last November, will help school districts replace polluting diesel buses with zero-tailpipe-emission, electric school buses.