Transportation
Massachusetts signs landmark commitment to slash transportation emissions
Massachusetts has signed onto the landmark Transportation and Climate Initiative Program, which will invest in clean transportation projects such as zero-emission electric vehicles, expanded public transit options, and walking and biking infrastructure. Several other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have joined or expressed support as well.
Financial Reform
Student loan Bill of Rights would provide crucial protections to Mass. student borrowers
MASSPIRG and our partners at MASSPIRG Students have called on state lawmakers to pass a Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights, which would protect borrowers from unfair and deceptive loan servicing practices. The volume of student debt keeps increasing: In Massachusetts, 855,500 students with loans owe a collective $33 billion.
COVID-19
Nursing Home Safety During COVID: PPE Shortages
A report by U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group found that nationally, the number of nursing homes out of PPE actually tripled between July and August.
Public Health
Let's ban bee-killing pesticides
We rely on bees to pollinate everything from strawberries to broccoli to the alfalfa used to feed dairy cows. Join us in calling on Gov. Baker to ban the sale of bee-killing pesticides.
We can't do it without you.
MASSPIRG is your advocate for the public interest, speaking out for healthier, safer, more secure lives for all of us.
News & Research
BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker signed into law key protections for people who have borrowed money to attend college. The new provisions, known as the Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights, were part of the larger economic development bill.
Illiinois PIRG applauds passage of predatory lending reform capping usury ceiling at 36% APR. Measure sent to governor. Illinois will become the 18th state, along with the District of Columbia, that effectively bans payday loans.
McDonald’s announced a commitment to eliminate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging used in its restaurants by 2025. PFAS are linked to kidney and liver problems, high cholesterol, reduced immune system function, and cancer.
Every second, the equivalent of one dump truck filled with clothing and other textiles from around the world is sent to a landfill or incinerator. Perhaps even more upsetting, many of the clothes were never even worn. Clothing companies commonly destroy, incinerate or send to the landfill unsold and unused clothing, known as overstock, to make way for new merchandise. To address the huge amount of clothing that is wasted and turned into environmental pollution each year, MASSPIRG partnered with U.S. PIRG to launch a campaign on Tuesday calling on states to hold the industry accountable for its overproduction and ban the destruction of overstock.
With vaccines here, it may soon be time to reschedule vacations and other trips for later this year
RESOURCE
Coronavirus update
In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, we’ve taken steps for all of our staff to work remotely for safety reasons. But rest assured, we’ll keep advocating for you as we work for a healthier, safer world.
Learn more about how we can work together to address the COVID-19 pandemic.