Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Consumers for Auto Reliability And Safety (CARS) Foundation | Consumer Protection
Unsafe used cars for sale
AutoNation, which bills itself as "America's Largest Auto Retailer," is selling recalled used vehicles that contain dangerous safety defects. In a survey of over 2,400 used vehicles for sale at 28 AutoNation locations, 1 in 9 were found to have unrepaired safety recalls.
News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Tips, Consumer Protection
Largest bank hack ever, of Capital One, exposes 100 million to identity theft
Everyone should assume that their social security number has been exposed between this breach and breaches of other major companies' databases, such as Equifax's. With that in mind, U.S. PIRG recommends all Americans should use their right by law to freeze their credit reports for free
News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform
Equifax penalty is a "sweetheart deal" that leaves consumers at risk
Our response to Equifax paying a $650 million penalty for exposing the social security numbers of 148 million Americans to identity theft.
Fisher-Price recalls nearly 5 million potentially deadly Rock n'Play sleepers
Fisher-Price recalled 4.7 million Rock n'Play baby sleepers on Friday. U.S. PIRG Consumer Watchdog Adam Garber issued a response: ""While we're pleased that Fisher-Price is finally recalling these dangerous sleepers, 30 deaths in 10 years is 30 deaths too many and 10 years too late."
News Release | Consumer Protection
Statement on Wells Fargo's response to "Debit Cards on Campus" report
Read U.S. PIRG's statement on Wells Fargo eliminating some fees for student on debit cards.
News Release | Higher Ed
New study: Wells Fargo, other banks, charge outsized fees to college students despite federal rules
Report | WashPIRG Foundation | Public Health
The negative health effects of asbestos are well-known. Most people may associate asbestos contamination with the workplace or decades-old construction material, but alarmingly, recent media reports have found asbestos contamination in kids' makeup from popular stores. PIRG decided to do its own asbestos testing at an accredited laboratory.
Lip products are used by most Americans every day. In fact, 81 percent of women and 39 percent of men use lipstick or lip balm products. Unfortunately, the ingredients in these products are barely regulated, and many major brands use toxic chemicals in these products. This consumer guide includes some potentially dangerous examples and a few "safer" alternative products that do not contain these toxic ingredients. With so many lip products that contain toxic chemicals, it is hard for the average consumer to know what is safe to use and what is not.
Report | WashPIRG Foundation | Solid Waste
Trash in America
The United States produces an immense amount of waste. Natural resources are continually extracted to produce goods that are used in the U.S. – often only briefly – before they are thrown into landfills, incinerators or the natural environment. This system of consumption and disposal results in the waste of precious resources and pollution that threatens our health, environment and global climate.
Plugging In
The adoption of large numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) offers many benefits for cities, including cleaner air and the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles are far cleaner than gasoline-powered cars, with lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower emissions of the pollutants that contribute to smog and particulate matter.
Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection
Trouble in Toyland 2017
For over 30 years, U.S. PIRG Education Fund has conducted an annual survey of toy safety, which has led to over 150 recalls and other regulatory actions over the years, and has helped educate the public and policymakers on the need for continued action to protect the health and wellbeing of children.
Toys are safer than ever before, thanks to decades of work by product safety advocates, parents, the leadership of Congress, state legislatures, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Blog Post | Consumer Protection
Consumers Count: Five years of the CFPB standing up for consumers | Kathryn Lee
This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns five years old! As part of our efforts to tell more people about the CFPB, we're cross-posting this video blog and comments written by Zixta Q. Martinez of the CFPB (check out the infographic at the end, too!).
Blog Post | Transportation
Good Things Come to Those On Bikes | Sean Doyle
Pull the bike out of the closet, pump up those tires, and dust off the helmet because it's Bike to Work Week!
Don't Believe the Hype – Millennials' Transportation Habits Are Changing | Sean Doyle
Despite news stories claiming that Millennials are buying up cars at record rates, the reality is quite different. After adjusting previous studies to account for differences in the size of the generations measured, on a per-capita basis, Millennials are 29 percent less likely than members of Generation X to own a car.
Breaking the Silence on Transportation and the Climate
Transportation policy-makers in most states and at the federal level have simply never seen it as their business to consider, much less act to reduce, the climate impacts of their infrastructure investment decisions. The Obama administration's actions last week, however tentative, suggest that that is about to change.
All Americans Deserve Clean Air to Breathe, On Earth Day and Every Day | Sean Doyle
U.S. DOT asks if we should measure global warming pollution from transportation.