On January 7th, 2010, the Central Vermont Community Action Council announced that it received a stunning $4.8 million grant as part of the Department of Labor’s $100 million Energy Training Partnership Program. The money will train and prepare nearly 2400 Vermonters for cutting edge green jobs all over the state. The grant, one of the …
$5 million awarded to Central VT organization for green jobs training Read More »
Stimulus money invested in public transportation projects created twice as many jobs as highway projects, according to a new report released today by VPIRG, in conjunction with the Center for Neighborhood Technology and Smart Growth America But if the Senate doesn’t make changes to Congress’ latest jobs bill this month, it will miss an opportunity …
New Report: Public Transportation Projects Create More Jobs than Building Highways Read More »
There they go again. The Wall Street bankers are paying themselves hundreds of billions of dollars in bonuses just a year or so after taxpayers bailed them out. The big bonuses have a kicker, too; since the bonuses are a business expense, $200 billion in bonuses means another $80 billion in tax savings for the …
It’s Time for Main Street to Score a Win – Will Congress Do the Right Thing? Read More »
As we buckle down for a cold, snowy winter, your VPIRG team is heading to the State House for the first day of the 2010 legislative session. If there’s one thing to be learned from this past year, it’s that organized and passionate people still wield power. Together, we can make great things happen in …
VPIRG is thrilled to announce that the only two U.S. manufacturers of the toxic flame retardant Deca and the largest U.S. importer have agreed to a voluntary phase out of the chemical! This is a huge victory for children’s health and the environment. Under the agreement, the manufacturers will stop the production, importation, and sale …
Vermont Yankee has been negotiating with Vermont utilities – Green Mountain Power and CVPS – for nearly two years. And in two years the utilities have yet to see a single deal they’d be willing to swallow. It is clear Vermont Yankee is not a good deal for Vermont. On Friday, December 18th, Entergy came …
Today, VPIRG stood with businesses, legislators, and parents to release our report, “Over Exposed: The Impacts of bisphenol A on Public Health” on bisphenol A (BPA) – a toxic chemical used in a variety of common products including baby bottles, water bottles, food cans, and more. BPA is a synthetic estrogen that is making its …
The new financial reform legislation passed by the House of Representatives on Friday December 11th is an important step towards protecting consumers and taxpayers from reckless financial practices. The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, H.R. 4173, approved by a vote of 223-202, establishes a new independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), reins in the …
U.S. House Stands With Consumers Against Big Banks Read More »
Laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group have, for the first time, detected bisphenol A (BPA), a plastic component and synthetic estrogen, in umbilical cord blood of American infants. Nine of 10 randomly selected samples of cord blood tested positive for BPA, an industrial petrochemical produced by the millions of tons annually to make polycarbonate …
New Report: 9 out of 10 babies tested positive for BPA Read More »
“Sick Schools 2009 – America’s Continuing Environmental Health Crisis for Children” a national report with state by state assessments of the problems and opportunities, advocates for environment and children’s health thanked Senators Boxer, Lautenberg, and Klobuchar, and other members of the Environment Committee for advancing the EPA priorities on children and schools and urged more …