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

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."

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News Release | CoPIRG Foundation | Solid Waste

New Report Finds 66,000 Reusable Phones Scrapped Because of Activation Locks

A new report from the CoPIRG Foundation finds that since 2015, a local electronics recycler has had to scrap 66,000 donated but reusable phones because of activation locks, a feature that is increasingly being used by phone manufacturers. The data comes from The Wireless Alliance, an electronics recycler based in Colorado that receives millions of donated phones from across the country every year and underscores how activation locks are undermining the used phone marketplace and unnecessarily contributing to electronic waste.  

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Solid Waste

Locked Out

Donating phones to be reused can reduce electronic waste and save consumers money by fostering a robust used phone marketplace. Unfortunately, the rise of activation locks is leading to the scrapping of tens of thousands of perfectly reusable phones, which fuels the production of more new phones and the pollution that comes with that.

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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.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Public Health, Consumer Protection

Tyson chicken strips recalled, may contain pieces of metal

Just seven weeks after Tyson Foods recalled chicken nuggets that could contain rubber, the poultry giant is recalling chicken strips that might contain metal. 

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

Boeing Max planes have ‘optional’ safety mechanisms

Newly-revealed details by the New York Times about of the crash of two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes may stun even the most hardened observer. The planes lacked a safety feature that may have warned pilots about problems because it was not required and Boeing charged airlines extra to include it. Adam Garber, U.S. PIRG Education Fund Consumer Watchdog issued the following statement.

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News Release | CoPIRG Foundation | Public Health

Popular weed killer found in top beer and wine brands

Many beers and wines sold in the U.S. contain the weed killer glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, according to a new report by CoPIRG Foundation. In Bottoms Up: Glyphosate Pesticide in Beer and Wine, CoPIRG Foundation tested 20 beers, wines and hard cider, including several organic brands, for glyphosate/Roundup and found that all but one contained the harmful chemical.

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News Release | CoPIRG Foundation and the Financial Equity Coalition | Consumer Protection

Prohibition on triple-digit payday loan rates goes into effect Feb 1st

Tomorrow, Colorado joins fifteen other states and the District of Columbia in stopping predatory payday lenders from charging Coloradans triple-digit rates to borrow small loans of $500 or less. Starting February 1st, payday loan companies can no longer charge interest and fees that add up to over 200% APR but must abide by Colorado’s usury cap of 36%. The change comes after 77% of voters passed Proposition 111 in November, ending an era of predatory payday lending practices that targeted low-income borrowers, veterans, and communities of color. Coloradans will save an expected $50 million per year in payday loan fees.

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News Release | Denver Streets Partnership | Transportation

Denver Earns “C“ on 2018 Progress Toward Safe Streets Goals

A new progress report card released by safety advocates with the Denver Streets Partnership awarded Denver an overall “C“ grade for the City and County of Denver’s progress on the Vision Zero Action Plan designed to improve the safety of Denver’s streets. The progress report card looked at Denver’s 2018 infrastructure goals in eight categories and found that, while Denver met its goals for miles of bike lanes constructed and operational improvements at major intersections, it failed to meet its goals for sidewalks constructed, traffic calming work, and street lighting enhancements.

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Tax

Settling for a Lack of Accountability?

When large companies harm the public through fraud, financial scams, chemical spills, dangerous products or other misdeeds, they almost never just pay a fine or penalty, as ordinary people would. Instead, these companies negotiate out-of-court settlements that resolve the charges in return for stipulated payments or promised remedies. These agreements, made on behalf of the American people, are not subject to any transparency standards and companies often write them off as tax deductions claimed as necessary and ordinary costs of doing business.

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland 2015

For 30 years, CoPIRG Foundation 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. Check out the 2015 survey.

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation and SWEEP | Transportation

Transportation Toolkit

This guide is intended to give you a sense of what some of the options are for making our communities better places - places where residents can safely and comfortably get around by walking, riding a bike, or riding transit, in addition to driving. Whether you are headed to school, work, the store or entertainment, there are too many places where the infrastructure, land use patterns and available services make it difficult to use your legs, your bike, a bus or a train (on their own or in combination).

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation and Citizens for Tax Justice | Tax

OFFSHORE SHELL GAMES 2015

U.S.-based multinational corporations are allowed to play by a different set of rules than small and domestic businesses or individuals when it comes to the tax code. Rather than paying their full share, many multinational corporations use accounting tricks to pretend for tax purposes that a substantial portion of their profits are generated in offshore tax havens, countries with minimal or no taxes where a company’s presence may be as little as a mailbox. Multinational corporations’ use of tax havens allows them to avoid an estimated $90 billion in federal income taxes each year.

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Report | CoPIRG Foundation | Transportation

Who Pays for Roads?

Many Americans believe that drivers pay the full cost of the roads they use through gas taxes and other user fees. That has never been true, and it is less true now than at any other point in modern times. Today, general taxes paid by all taxpayers cover nearly as much of the cost of building and maintaining highways as the gas tax and other fees paid by drivers. The purchasing power of gasoline taxes has declined as a result of inflation, improved vehicle fuel economy, and the recent stagnation in driving.

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News Release | CoPIRG Foundation

Mayor Hancock joins national call for Trump Administration to centrally purchase and distribute medical supplies

More than 113 mayors and county executives across 18 states delivered a letter to the Trump administration urging the federal government to use its emergency powers to ramp up production of critical medical supplies like ventilators and masks, and to centrally distribute those materials.

News Release | CoPIRG Foundation

26 Colorado legislators join Attorney General, demand Amazon, other online marketplaces end coronavirus price gouging

26 Colorado legislators are calling on the country’s top online marketplaces to crack down on price gouging amidst the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In total 346 legislators representing 45 states joined CoPIRG Foundation in sending a letter Tuesday urging Amazon, Craigslist, eBay, Facebook and Walmart to quickly implement preventative measures on their platforms to ensure that consumers don’t get taken advantage of during this public health crisis. Less than two weeks ago, 33 attorneys general, including Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, sent a similar letter to the same companies.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

After numerous recalls, U.S. PIRG Education Fund applauds FDA order to remove all generic Zantac from stores

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a full recall Wednesday of all ranitidine, a heartburn medication known by the brand name Zantac.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Here’s how to address bill payment challenges during COVID-19

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has left many Americans wondering how they’re going to pay their monthly bills. U.S. PIRG Education Fund new advice on how to negotiate with banks, utilities delaying payments, waiving of overdraft fees and other ways to stay financially secure.

News Release | CoPIRG

Clean cars rollback: Bad for our health, our climate, our wallets

In a statement, Danny Katz, CoPIRG Director said “Clean car standards are a proven way to reduce air pollution while saving people at the pump. The advancements we’ve seen in fuel-efficient cars show these standards do not need to be changed. The Trump administration should drop their proposal to throw clean air efforts into reverse and should focus instead on protecting our health now and into the future.” 

  • 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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