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 …
WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded greenhouse gases are endangering people’s health and must be regulated, signaling that the Obama administration is prepared to contain global warming without congressional action if necessary. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson scheduled a news conference for later Monday to announce the so-called endangerment finding, officials told The Associated Press, speaking …
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) launched its new, regular Huffington Post blog column, In the Public Interest, on Monday December 7th with an entry from Ed Mierzwinski, the organization’s veteran Consumer Program Director. In Monday’s column, Mierzwinski writes about “four key tests” facing the House of Representatives this week, as they consider …
U.S. PIRG kicks off Huffington Post series on financial reform Read More »
The United States, long considered a laggard in addressing global warming, is poised to achieve significant reductions in global warming pollution thanks to clean energy and climate policies driven by the states, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by VPIRGs sister organization, Environment America. America on the Move, released just days before world leaders convene in …
Last week lawmakers held a legislative hearing on the corporate owner’s of Vermont Yankee, Entergy, plans to create a new spin-off company (Enexus). This new company would own the reactor in Vernon and five other of its aging nuclear plants, leaving Enexus saddled with debt and no answers on its viability. Lawmakers had some commonsense …
On December 3, 1984, residents of Bhopal India woke in their homes to fits of coughing, their lungs filling with fluid when more than 40 tons of methyl isocyante (MIC) gas created a dense cloud over a population of more than half a million people following a chemical gas spill from a pesticide factory. More …
A newly released CBO report is great news for health reform supporters. While we expect opponents to distort its contents in coming days , a careful examination of CBO’s analysis finds that: Employees at small and large businesses would see lower premiums than under current law, even without factoring in new affordability tax credits for individuals …
CBO’s estimates of the Senate bill’s impact on health insurance premiums Read More »