RENEWING THE SUPERFUND—Funding for toxic waste cleanup was depleted when the Bush administration let polluters off the hook for cleanup costs. New PIRG-backed legislation by Rep. Hinchey would reinstate the “polluter pays” rule and get crucial cleanups back on track.

Superfund Bill Would Renew Cleanups

In December, PIRG released a report calling for increased funding for the bankrupt Superfund toxic waste cleanup program. Congressman Maurice Hinchey (N.Y.) attended the report release to introduce PIRG-backed legislation that reinstates Superfund’s polluter fees to adequately fund toxic cleanups.

Until they expired in 1995, Superfund’s polluter fees required polluting industries to pay to clean toxic pollution. The Bush administration opposes reinstating the fees and has long neglected the Superfund program. Consequently, Superfund had suffered severe annual funding shortfalls that delayed toxic cleanups and jeopardized human health.

The Hinchey bill would generate more than $1.6 billion a year for Superfund cleanups and dedicates a portion of the collected income for Hurricane Katrina cleanups. The state PIRGs are working to rally support for this important legislation.

States Unite For Stronger ID Theft Protection

The attorneys general of 47 states and territories have urged Congress not to interfere with state efforts to protect consumers from identity theft.

After several high-profile data leaks exposed consumers to identity thieves last year, 21 states joined California in passing PIRG-crafted security breach notification laws, so consumers will know when their financial information has been compromised. Eight more states (for a total of 12) have passed PIRGsupported laws to allow consumers to place a security freeze on their credit reports, locking identity thieves out in the cold.

However, proposed federal legislation could override the new state protections. In an Oct. 28 letter, the attorneys general encouraged Congress to pass legislation that will expand upon, not hinder, the progress of states to force banks, credit card companies and data dealers to do a better job of keeping our personal information from falling into the wrong hands.

Study Finds Consumers “Locked In A Cell”

Nearly half of cell phone customers surveyed would consider switching service if they could avoid high “early termination” fees.

That’s the key finding of a state PIRG survey of 1,000 cell phone customers nationwide, the results of which were released on August 11. The fees, which average $170 per phone, are a hindrance to genuine competition within the industry.

“High termination fees are anticompetitive and a significant disincentive to consumers who want to shop around for better or cheaper cell phone service,” said PIRG’s Deirdre Cummings, one of the authors of the report.

Cummings and other PIRG advocates have called on cell phone companies to end the fees and on regulators to give cell phone customers some of the same basic consumer protections enjoyed by users of land-line phones and other consumer services.

Endangered Species Act Under Attack

In September, the House of Representatives approved controversial legislation that seeks to alter and weaken the Endangered Species Act. The effort was led by Rep. Richard Pombo, a long-time opponent of the act. Despite widespread opposition throughout the country and in Congress, the Pombo legislation was approved by a vote of 229 to 193.

“The PIRGs and the environmental community will continue to monitor and expose this assault for what it is—an attempt to undermine the most effective way to preserve species from habitat loss due to unfettered development,” said the PIRGs Environmental Advocate Justin Tatham.