Media Releases
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.
70 groups support action to get lead out of school drinking water by School District of Philadelphia
On May 4th, administrators from the School District of Philadelphia presented the 2022-2023 budget for City Council and announced a detailed plan to replace old water fountains with lead filtering hydration stations by 2025. Following the announcement, PennPIRG Education Fund, the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center, and the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality, released a letter co-signed by 70 community organizations.
Consumer advocacy groups launch campaign to get Columbia Sportswear to phase out toxic ‘forever chemicals’
U.S. PIRG Education Fund and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) launched a campaign on Tuesday calling on outdoor gear and apparel brand Columbia Sportswear to phase out the use of PFAS in its products and supply chains. Last month, the company received low marks in a scorecard report released by the advocacy groups. The report found that Columbia Sportswear has failed to adopt policies that ban PFAS chemicals or provide up-to-date, publicly available information on any ongoing efforts to phase out these toxic chemicals from their products.
Interactive map shows widespread lead contamination in schools drinking water
Lead contamination of school drinking water is more pervasive than previously thought, according to testing data from across the nation published on Thursday by Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund on a new interactive map. The groups urged public officials to take swift action to “get the lead out” of schools’ drinking water.
U.S. PIRG applauds Biden Administration’s actions on medical debt
Our statement on Vice President Kamala Harris' announced reforms to reduce the impact of medical debt on Americans’ finances.
New scorecard grades popular apparel brands on commitments to avoiding PFAS
PennPIRG Education Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC) and Fashion FWD released a scorecard on Wednesday ranking popular retail and apparel brands on policy commitments to eliminate a dangerous class of toxic “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, from their products.
EPA takes an important step to ban carcinogenic asbestos
EPA announced today new steps to ban chrysotile asbestos, the most common of six types of asbestos. Exposure to chrysotile and the other five types of asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the chest and stomach lining, lung cancer and asbestosis, which causes permanent lung damage.
Banks, Credit Unions and Consumer Groups Call for Passage of Bipartisan Solution to Close ILC Loophole
U.S. PIRG joined leading consumer and bank trade groups to urge Congress to enact the bi-partisan HR5912, to close the Industrial Loan Company (ILC) loophole that threatens the banking system.