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News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund | Safe Energy

Nuclear Power Threatens PA Drinking Water

Philadelphia, PA – The drinking water for 6.7 million people in Pennsylvania could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a local nuclear power plant, says a new study released today by the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG) Education Fund.

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Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Safe Energy

Too Close to Home

In the United States, 49 million Americans receive their drinking water from surface sources located within 50 miles of an active nuclear power plant – inside the boundary the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses to assess risk to food and water supplies.

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News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund | Tax

Tax Havens Used by Romney Cost Taxpayers Billions

With the heightened attention paid to Mitt Romney’s use of offshore tax havens, it is important to remember that tax havens are more than just an electoral issue. Tax havens are a serious policy matter that profoundly affects ordinary Americans, our economy, our national debt and our long-term competitiveness.

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Blog Post | Democracy

Corporations that Spend More on Lobbying than Taxes | Phineas Baxandall

Two years ago the Supreme Court's misguided Citizens United decision struck down long-standing Congressional limits on the political power of large corporations by vastly expanding the legal metaphor that "corporations are people." Now there is fresh evidence that corporate influence over Congress makes it easy for those same corporations to avoid their civic duty of paying taxes.

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Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Democracy

Representation Without Taxation

Marking the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission case—which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections—this report takes a hard look at the lobbying activities of profitable Fortune 500 companies that exploit loopholes and distort the tax code to avoid billions of dollars in taxes.

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News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund | Safe Energy

Nuclear Power Threatens PA Drinking Water

Philadelphia, PA – The drinking water for 6.7 million people in Pennsylvania could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a local nuclear power plant, says a new study released today by the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG) Education Fund.

> Keep Reading
News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund | Tax

Tax Havens Used by Romney Cost Taxpayers Billions

With the heightened attention paid to Mitt Romney’s use of offshore tax havens, it is important to remember that tax havens are more than just an electoral issue. Tax havens are a serious policy matter that profoundly affects ordinary Americans, our economy, our national debt and our long-term competitiveness.

> Keep Reading
News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund | Democracy, Tax

Thirty Fortune 500 Companies Paid More to Lobby Congress Than They Did in Federal Income Taxes, PennPIRG Study Shows

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 18 – With the second anniversary approaching of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections, PennPIRG and Citizens for Tax Justice reveal 30 corporations that spent more to lobby Congress than they did in taxes.

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Media Hit | Tax

Inquirer: Here's a tax holiday that we don't need

An army of lobbyists on Capitol Hill is trying to convince Congress that after stashing nearly $1.4 trillion offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes, corporations should get a massive tax discount for bringing the money back to America.

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Media Hit | Tax

Trib-Revue: Civic Arena property declared blighted

Even a desirable Pittsburgh neighborhood such as Shadyside could qualify as blighted under a 1945 state law used to get public money for economic development, a local preservationist says.

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Result | Health Care

Young People Now Covered

This year, the federal health care reforms that U.S. PIRG worked to win have started to pay off for young people. In the past, teens saw their premiums soar or were denied coverage when they turned 19, even if they’d been insured their whole lives. Now, they can remain on their parents’ plans until age 26.

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Result | Food

Researching How Tax Dollars Become Twinkies

U.S. PIRG research found that since 1995, $17 billion in agricultural subsidies have gone to corn syrup and other junk food ingredients. That’s enough to buy 2.8 billion Twinkies, and vastly more than has gone to apples and other fresh fruits and vegetables.

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Result | Food

KIDS’ SCHOOL LUNCHES NOW SAFER

For years, America’s schoolchildren have been eating beef, chicken and other foods that would have been rejected as substandard even by fast food chains. Thanks in part to our advocacy, the USDA has stopped buying such low-quality meat for school lunches.

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A VICTORY FOR CONSUMERS OVER WALL STREET

Even after the financial crisis, lobbyists for the big banks and credit card companies furiously opposed pro-consumer provisions in the Wall Street reform law. We helped convince Congress to ignore them and create a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

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KIDS’ SCHOOL LUNCHES NOW SAFER

For years, America’s schoolchildren have been eating beef, chicken and other foods that would have been rejected as substandard even by fast food chains. Thanks in part to our advocacy, the USDA has stopped buying such low-quality meat for school lunches.

> Keep Reading

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Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Safe Energy

Too Close to Home

In the United States, 49 million Americans receive their drinking water from surface sources located within 50 miles of an active nuclear power plant – inside the boundary the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses to assess risk to food and water supplies.

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Democracy

Representation Without Taxation

Marking the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission case—which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections—this report takes a hard look at the lobbying activities of profitable Fortune 500 companies that exploit loopholes and distort the tax code to avoid billions of dollars in taxes.

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland

The 2011 Trouble in Toyland report is our 26th annual survey of toy safety. In this report, we provide safety guidelines for consumers when purchasing toys for young children and provide examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.

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Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Budget

Caution: Red Light Cameras Ahead

Before pursuing a camera system contract, local governments should heed the advice of the Federal Highway Administration and first investigate traffic engineering solutions for problem intersections or roadways. If officials decide that private enforcement systems are appropriate, they should avoid deals that constrain future decisions related to protecting safety. Privatized traffic law enforcement should be used solely as a tool for enhancing traffic safety, not as a cash cow for municipalities or private firms.

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Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Health Care

Making the Grade

When it comes to health care, there are few magic-bullet solutions for the many problems consumers face in the marketplace: insurers don’t compete for their business, leading to higher prices and lower quality. Important information about coverage is buried in the fine print, making it hard to know what’s really covered or which plan is right. And costs are continuing their unsustainable rise.

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Blog Post | Democracy

Corporations that Spend More on Lobbying than Taxes | Phineas Baxandall

Two years ago the Supreme Court's misguided Citizens United decision struck down long-standing Congressional limits on the political power of large corporations by vastly expanding the legal metaphor that "corporations are people." Now there is fresh evidence that corporate influence over Congress makes it easy for those same corporations to avoid their civic duty of paying taxes.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Despite toy safety progress, parents need to be aware | Alana Miller

We don't always know if the gifts will be a hit but the one thing we count on is that the toys we purchase are safe.  Thanks to the hard work of agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and consumer advocates like U.S. PIRG that's largely true.  But as our toy shopping researchers have found, that's not always the case.

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Blog Post | Financial Reform

If our political leaders REALLY want to help small business… | Alana Miller

Small business owners have big troubles with big banks and credit cards and the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) should take a look at the numerous obstacles.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

A fee too far | Alana Miller

We've posted about avoiding bank fees before, but the latest Bank of America shenanigan deserves another word of caution.

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Blog Post | Transportation

Red light camera testimony | Phineas Baxandall

The analysis below discusses four types of public protections that should be included in any enabling legislation for red-light camera programs. We discuss specific recommendations for best practice, as compared to provisions in the Philadelphia Code and Senate Bill 595.

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Priority Action

The Stop Tax Havens Abuse Act would put an end to the price and profit shifting that allows publicly traded companies to engage in pervasive tax avoidance.

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