A glance at PIRG’s plans to serve the public interest in the new year

DENVER – Each new year rings in a new chance to build a better world. In 2023, as it has for decades, PIRG, including the state PIRGs and a Washington, D.C., advocacy team, will lead many of these efforts. 

“For more than 50 years now, PIRG’s advocates and members have spurred positive change that’s improved the quality of life for Americans,” said PIRG President Faye Park. “But we still have plenty of work to do in 2023 to ensure that Americans are healthy, consumers are safe and our environment gets the protection it needs.”

Below are PIRG’s priority campaigns for 2023 and beyond. Please contact us for data, context or quotes on any of the issues listed below.

Federal

Clean energy tax credits: Ensure that Americans make use of the Inflation Reduction Act’s unprecedented array of incentives for electric vehicles, rooftop solar, heat pumps, electric water heaters and home appliances, and more—thus delivering the massive reduction in climate emissions that the law intends.

Right To Repair: Urge Congress to pass legislation that breaks manufacturers’ monopoly on repair options for everything from phones and tablets to tractors, so that we can fix our broken stuff and keep it out of landfills. 

Turn Off the Tap on Toxic Pollution: Pursue congressional and administrative action to get toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” out of our consumer products.

State

Infrastructure implementation: Continue to work with state and local leaders nationwide to ensure climate-, public health-, clean water-, consumer- and wildlife-friendly planning and spending of resources provided by the bipartisan infrastructure law.

Beyond Plastic: Convince at least five more states to ban single-use foam cups, containers and plastic bags in order to stem the tide of throwaway stuff clogging landfills and polluting our landscapes and oceans.

Right To Repair: Convince at least five more states to join New York and Colorado in passing laws that expand access to the parts and information repairers need to fix our stuff when it breaks.

Corporate

Best Buy: Clean Stoves, Healthy Families: Persuade Best Buy and other major retailers to include warning labels on gas stoves to help educate the public about gas stoves’ harmful impact on indoor air quality and our health.

Whole Foods: Planet Over Plastic: Convince Whole Foods to eliminate single-use plastic packaging, introduce reusable packaging, ensure all remaining packaging is recyclable or compostable, truthfully label its products and improve its plastic packaging transparency.

John Deere: Right To Repair: Convince John Deere to drop repair restrictions on its tractors, which unnecessarily destabilize food production and farmers’ livelihoods and appear to violate the Clean Air Act.