Fortune 500 Companies that Spend Big on Lobbying and Avoid Taxes

Released on the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission case—which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections—this report takes a hard look at the lobbying activities of profitable Fortune 500 companies that exploit loopholes and distort the tax code to avoid billions of dollars in taxes.

In addition to our work to make all products safer, every year VPIRG releases our annual Trouble in Toyland report highlighting potential hazards in children's toys.  This year Trouble in Toyland, along with an interactive tool accessible via smart phone or computer at http://toysafety.mobi, will help parents and other toy-buyers avoid some common hazards this holiday-shopping season. 

To download click "View full report [pdf]" in the top left.

On September 6th, 2011 VPIRG, in partnership with the Conservation Law Foundation, filed an amicus ("friend of the court") brief in support of Vermont's case against Entergy's lawsuit.

Click "View full report [pdf] »" above to download the brief.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes over enforcement of all major U.S. consumer laws July 21st. The agency was created in the wake of the Wall Street scandals that led to the Great Recession, and is tasked with protecting consumers from predatory lending and financial traps. Unfortunately, Wall Street banks have asked their friends in Congress to hamstring the agency by denying it a director. Now a new VPIRG report shows why we need this agency.

Over the past five years, VPIREF has released three major reports addressing the challenges and opportunities in determining Vermont’s energy future. These reports provided insights into the economic challenges and environmental impacts of energy use in Vermont and identified solutions that could help Vermont build a clean energy future.

 
We want a Vermont powered by clean, homegrown energy that doesn’t create radioactive waste or wreck our planet’s climate, and we want our energy dollars to stay in the state.   The pilot round of the Standard Offer moved us towards that reality.

Now we’ve put together a booklet that highlights six of these projects – from a dairy farm in Troy to a solar farm in Ferrisburgh. 

Download the report by clicking the link above.

We are on the edge of making the biggest decision about Vermont’s energy future in the past 40 years. The choice to repower Vermont with renewable energy resources or commit to an additional 20 years of Vermont Yankee will determine the legacy we leave future Vermonters.

 
In addition to our work to make all products safer, every year VPIRG releases our annual Trouble in Toyland report highlighting potential hazards in children's toys.  This year Trouble in Toyland, along with a new interactive tool accessible via smart phone or computer at http://toysafety.mobi, will help parents and other toy-buyers avoid some common hazards this holiday-shopping season.  

To download click "View full report [pdf]" in the top left.

VPIRG produces a scorecard of key votes at the conclusion of each legislative biennium. You can use this year’s scorecard to find out how your representatives in the Vermont House and Senate voted on VPIRG-backed legislation to promote clean energy, reduce exposure to toxins, make health care more accessible and affordable and protect our democracy.