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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | COVID-19

Putting Consumers First

U.S. PIRG Education Fund, the Student Borrower Protection Center and Consumer Action have released a report recommending that  CFPB should use the full extent of its authority to take immediate action to strengthen its consumer complaint tool, hold companies accountable for providing complete and timely responses to consumers, and leverage consumer complaints related to the pandemic to support oversight and regulatory action to protect consumers.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Americans need stronger consumer protections during COVID-19 crisis

U.S. PIRG Education Fund has released a report with the Student Borrower Protection Center and Consumer Action. The report makes recommendations to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to upgrade its consumer complaint tool, including the public consumer complaint database, so COVID19-related complaints can be handled more quickly and tracked better.

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Blog Post | COVID-19

Factory farms: A pandemic in the making. | Matt Wellington

The emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic is a symptom of how we raise food animals across the world. 

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News Release | CoPIRG Foundation | COVID-19

After public outcry, ventilator repair restrictions loosen

CoPIRG and the national federation of state PIRGs have been pressuring ventilator manufacturers to remove restrictions on who can fix these life-saving devices. Our efforts, along with those of our allies at Repair.org, got a boost last week, when Colorado Treasurer Dave Young and state treasurers from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Illinois, and Rhode Island sent a letter to manufacturers calling for them to release proprietary repair manuals, service keys, schematics and repair software. In response, some manufacturers are loosening restrictions on repair information. 

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News Release | CoPIRG and the Denver Streets Partnership | COVID-19

Mile High Connects recognized for getting protective gear to RTD, mobilizing local artists to produce more

On Wednesday, the Denver Streets Partnership (DSP), a coalition of organizations, including CoPIRG, that advocate for people-friendly streets, recognized one of their members, Mile High Connects, for their outstanding role in responding to the COVID19 pandemic. In the last week, Mile High Connects has been able to get 2,000 masks and 240 face shields transferred from Golden-based bicycle manufacturer Yeti Cycles to Denver’s transit agency, RTD, to be used by frontline workers. Mile High Connects also created a rapid response grant fund and has provided Redline Contemporary Art Center with a grant to kickstart a mask making business that employs their resident artists, and will produce hundreds of masks for the transit agency. 

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Target Removes Lead-Laden Fidget Spinner From Website, But Still Available For Sale In-Store

Since late yesterday afternoon, Target appears to have made the 33,000 ppm-lead containing Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass unavailable for sale on its website. U.S. PIRG Education Fund staff went to a Target store today and found the Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass was still available for sale in-store, despite the website saying it was unavailable there. Also yesterday, one of the CPSC’s Commissioners, Elliot F. Kaye, re-stated his opposition to the CPSC’s guidance and the acting chairman's statement when he tweeted, “Seems obvious fidget spinners are toys and should comply with all applicable federal safety standards.”

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Public Health

High Levels of Lead Found in Fidget Spinners

U.S. PIRG Education Fund found fidget spinners with high levels of lead for sale at Target stores across the country. Parents and consumers need to know about these lead-laden toys, especially because we alerted Target and the toy’s distributor, Bulls i Toy, to our findings, but they refused to address the problem. The toxic fidget spinners are still available both in toy aisles at Target stores and on its website. Incredibly, Target and Bulls i Toy defend their inaction by pointing to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) declaration that fidget spinners are NOT technically “children’s products” subject to legal limits for lead.

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News Release | CoPIRG Foundation | Solid Waste

Don’t Toss Your Pumpkins and Leaves, Compost Them

Recycling advocates have a message to residents who are dutifully raking and bagging up their leaves – don’t toss them in a trash bin, compost them. That goes for Jack-O’-Lantern’s too. At an event at Denver’s Recycling and Compost drop off site, they highlighted that organic items like leaves and pumpkins make up roughly 50% of residential waste that can be composted either by bringing them to a drop off site or by signing up for the city’s residential compost program and putting them in your own curbside green cart.  

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News Release | Consumer Protection

U.S. PIRG CONSUMER ADVOCATE MIKE LITT TESTIFIES AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON EQUIFAX

Our Consumer Advocate, Mike Litt, was invited by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, to testify this week at a Congressional hearing on the Equifax data breach. This was a continuation of the committee's previously held hearing on October 5th entitled "Examining the Equifax Data Breach."

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News Release | CoPIRG Foundation | Transportation

41 Local Government Leaders Sign Letter Supporting Bustang

Today, CoPIRG Foundation Director Danny Katz delivered a letter to the Transportation Commissioners for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) celebrating the success of Bustang, the statewide bus service, and showing support for continued expansion. The letter was signed by 41 mayors, city councilors, trustees and county commissioners from communities along the Bustang routes including Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Idaho Springs, Summit County, Eagle County, Vail, Avon, and Glenwood Springs.    

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Transportation

Colorado's Transportation Crossroads

Colorado’s transportation network does a poor job of meeting the needs of the state’s residents.  Expanding public transportation can provide more Coloradans with alternatives to driving, while laying the foundation for an efficient transportation system for the 21st century.

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

Highlights of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009

To educate consumers about the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility And Disclosure (CARD) Act signed into law on May 20, CoPIRG released a factsheet about the upcoming changes and tips on how to avoid remaining abusive credit card practices.

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Health Care

Small Business Delimma

To more accurately reflect the diversity of views of small businesses on health care, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group has let small business owners to speak for themselves. Three hundred and forty-three small business owners and managers across the country made their views heard through a survey which investigated the impact of health care costs on their businesses.

 

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Consumer Protection

Colorado Tenant Rights

This pamphlet will provide you with some basic information regarding tenant rights and landlord rights.

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation, Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center, Frontier Group

Electric Buildings

To prevent air and water pollution and avoid the worst impacts of global warming, America must move toward meeting our energy needs with 100% renewable energy. Getting there will require that we get the most out of every bit of energy we use – and that we stop burning fossil fuels in our homes and commercial buildings. 

News Release | CoPIRG Foundation, Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center, Frontier Group

New report: Repowering Colorado’s buildings could be like taking 1.7 million cars off the road, reduce indoor air pollution

Colorado could see a big and critical reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and gas usage if it phases out fossil fuel use in all of its buildings during the next 30 years, according to a new report released today by Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center, CoPIRG Foundation and Frontier Group. The study, Electric Buildings: Repowering Homes and Businesses for Our Health and Environment, found that completely repowering Colorado’s homes and businesses with electricity by 2050 is expected to result in net emissions reductions of 8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide – equal to taking 1.7 million passenger vehicles off the road – and reductions in pipeline gas usage equal to 170.7 billion cubic feet. It can also reduce indoor air pollution in homes and businesses. 

Blog Post

Plastic waste solutions hiding in plain sight: Recycled content requirements

This blog is the second in a series examining policy solutions to the plastic pollution crisis that are proven and replicable. This section covers recycled content requirements.

Blog Post

Another face of toxic-free beauty advocacy

We spoke to Je’May Ward, a clean beauty blogger from North Carolina, about what clean beauty advocacy means for her.

News Release | CoPIRG

Denver financial empowerment office helps thousands of residents reduce debt, save money, avoid debt traps

CoPIRG released new data highlighting the success of the Denver Office of Financial Empowerment and Protection (OFEP), which in 2020 helped thousands of Denver residents reduce debt by $1.4 million, increase savings by $227,000, avoid $826,000 in tax prep fees, and improve credit scores by an average of 43 points. CoPIRG highlighted that the Denver OFEP success underscores the role a statewide Office of Financial Empowerment could play to help leverage Denver’s success across the state.

 

  • COVID-19 CONSUMER TIPS
    Avoid online scams, protect your credit and more. We have assembled a set of consumer tips and guides, and will add more in the days to come.
    OUR TIPS
  • THE FIX IS IN
    Our survey shows that independent shops are struggling to access parts, service information and repair software which is necessary to fix phones — which manufacturers won’t let these independent shops have.
    OUR REPORT
  • FOOD RECALL FAILURE
    Will your supermarket warn you about hazardous food? Our survey grades 26 of the largest grocery stores in the country to determine the efficacy of their policies and practices notifying consumers about food recalls.
    OUR REPORT
  • CHAIN REACTION V
    The overuse of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can cause life-threatening infections in people. Our report ranks restaurant chains on their policies relating to antibiotic use in their beef supply chains.
    SEE THE GRADES

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