Advocates Identify Toys Containing Dangerous Chemicals Available in Vermont Some toys that have been recalled for lead or powerful magnets or other hazards can still be found in online stores, according to VPIRG’s 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report. The survey of potentially hazardous toys found that consumers should be…
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The issue of using aquatic pesticides to control lamprey populations in and around Lake Champlain has received considerable attention in recent weeks. In particular, the determination made by the Vermont Department of Health (DOH) that permits issued for the use of the chemical 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) should not allow the chemical…
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*You can still make your voice heard on this issue. Sign the official White House petition asking President Obama to veto this bill!* As delivered to President Barack Obama: I am writing on behalf of Vermont Public Interest Research Group to ask you to veto the Roberts-Stabenow bill regarding labels…
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Read the 2015 Trouble in Toyland report to help you avoid potentially hazardous toys. For the past 30 years, US PIRG Education Fund and Vermont Public Interest Research and Education Fund have conducted an annual survey of toy safety, which has led to over 150 recalls and other regulatory actions…
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As a child growing up in southern Vermont I spent many afternoons collecting cans and bottles from friends and neighbors. This was a great way to make a little extra spending money, and to help clean things up a bit. This is an experience I am sure that thousands of…
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As we learn more about the impact that microbeads have on our environment, Vermonters are realizing they are something to be afraid of this Halloween. Microbeads are small plastic beads added to things like toothpaste and face washes to help with exfoliation. A recent article in the Washington Post noted…
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When Neil Young’s Rebel Content Tour came to Vermont they wanted to do more than just rock, they wanted to make sure Vermonters will know if their food is genetically engineered. In a backstage pre-show press conference Young joined Governor Shumlin to promote Vermont’s law and pledge $100,000 to support…
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As Americans become more conscious of what’s in the food they are eating and feeding their families, industrial food and chemical producers have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a public relations campaign to confuse consumers and drive the media narrative about their products. These are the findings…
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Last week the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in King v. Burwell that further codified the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as the law of the land. At stake in this case was if states that chose not to operate their own insurance marketplaces would be able to provide insurance…
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Earlier this week the Green Mountain Care Board announced that Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBSVT) and MVP Health Care (MVP) filed proposed premium hikes of 8.4% and 3% respectively for 2016 Vermont Health Connect Plans. The proposed rate increases will now be reviewed by the Green Mountain Care Board in…
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