Solid Waste
California takes sweeping action to curb single-use plastic
California just took sweeping action to reduce single-use plastic pollution. The newly signed Plastic Pollution Reduction Act will significantly reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our environment.
Transportation
EPA announces $5 billion for electric school buses
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a $5 billion Clean School Bus Program to help school districts replace polluting diesel buses with clean electric ones. Currently, most of the nation’s 450,000 school buses run on diesel fuel, even though diesel exhaust has been linked to respiratory illness, cancer and other serious health risks.
Solid Waste
Biden administration commits to removing single-use plastic from national parks
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has issued an order to phase out single-use plastic products from our country’s national parks and other public lands by 2032, after PIRG and over 20,000 of our supporters urged the administration to take this critical step beyond plastic.
Report: Methane Gas Leaks
Gas leaks and pipeline incidents are common and put public health and safety at risk.
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News & Research
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Thursday, the California Senate Appropriations committee chose to hold Assembly Bill 2026 by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), which would have required e-commerce shippers to reduce the amount of single-use plastic packaging added to online orders.
On Wednesday, legislators, environmental groups, business leaders and public health advocates celebrated electric school buses by riding one around the Capitol. At the event, CALPIRG, Lion Electric, Twin Rivers Unified School district, and others made the case for California’s state Legislature to pass Assembly Bill 2731, sponsored by Assemblymember Phil Ting. If passed, the bill would mandate that all school buses purchased after 2035 be all electric.
WASHINGTON – The Inflation Reduction Act just passed by the U.S. Senate provides powerful tools for the government to address high drug prices. Federal legislators identified ways to address drug costs that will save close to $240 billion over 10 years and also relieve the burden of the high cost of medications for many Americans. Next, the U.S. House of Representatives must pass the bill for it to become law.
WASHINGTON – Midway through a summer full of brutally hot weather, flash floods and worsening drought, the U.S. Senate passed the largest-ever package of climate and clean energy investments. The Inflation Reduction Act includes roughly $369 billion in climate spending, designed to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030 and put the United States’ Paris Climate Accord goals within reach. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Friday, August 12.
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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.