VPIRG Board of Trustees Elections
Voting in the 2011 VPIRG Board of Trustees election is open now through October 31, 2011. Members in good standing as of Sept. 1, 2011 are eligible to vote.
Issues
Victory in Barre-common sense wins.
Last month the Barre Development Review Board voted 6-0 to deny a local midwife’s request to operate a small office out of her home after hearing from neighbors who argued that “women — particularly pregnant women — would have difficulty safely backing out of (the midwife’s) driveway.” After hearing this, VPIRG invited our members to take action, and the response was overwhelming!
VPIRG organizes bottle drive to support local swim team
Our state’s Bottle Bill program has not only proven to be an amazing tool for recycling, but it also provides a resource for community groups, like the Waterbury Rapids Swim Team, who depend on bottle drives to help fund their programs. While 5 cents might not seem like a lot, it adds up for community groups across the state.
Entergy: “Never mind what we said.” Company again shows it cannot be trusted
Entergy Louisiana announced today its plan to refuel its Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor, even though it used the threat of shutting down in an attempt to pressure federal Judge Garvan Murtha into granting it permission to continue operating while its lawsuit winds through the courts.
VPIRG report shows need for Consumer Protection Bureau
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.
Poll shows strong support for Wall Street reform, report shows need for Consumer Protection Bureau
On the day that a landmark federal agency – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – takes over enforcement of all major consumer laws, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group announced the results of a poll showing that an overwhelming majority of likely voters both support a new consumer agency (74%) and want Wall Street held “accountable” (77%). VPIRG also released a new report documenting “10 reasons” consumers need the new CFPB.
VY Preliminary Injunction denied!
Minutes ago Judge J. Garvan Murtha sided with the state of Vermont, denying Entergy Lousiana its request for a Preliminary Injunction (PI) to keep Vermont Yankee open past its expiration date while the court case proceeds.
VPIRG launches Solar Addison County
On July 12th, VPIRG launched a program to make it easy and affordable for folks throughout Addison County to harness the sun’s energy. This Solar Communities program has helped over a hundred Vermonters go solar, and as of today this opportunity will be available to home and business owners in Addison County.
Governor Shumlin urges President Obama to push for a stronger national car emission standard.
Today Governor Shumlin sent a letter to President Obama sending a strong message, urging him to voice support for a single, national emission standard for passenger vehicles and light trucks.
Vermont is one of 14 states around the country that have adopted emission standards and while we have the lowest emissions in New England, car exhaust still makes up 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions. This a great step forward in reducing our dependance on dirty and polluting energy sources.
News Release: VPIRG statement on AG’s decision not to charge Entergy
The Attorney General’s decision today may come as good news to Entergy officials who were in danger of being criminally charged, but it’s hardly good news to the tens of thousands of Vermonters who count on that facility to be run by a company that is both competent and reliable. The fact that Entergy is neither reliable nor trustworthy due to its employees’ ignorance is no more comforting than if the officials had intentionally lied under oath.