Below are two briefs I wrote that were included in MarylandPIRG’s Summer 2024 newsletter.

Thousands of Americans share their stories for Right to Repair

“Sad that I have to throw out a $1,000 smartphone because I cannot replace the battery. So wasteful,” J. R. Riehle said in one of more than 56,000 public comments on Right to Repair sent
to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

U.S. PIRG Education Fund and iFixit have led the charge for Right to Repair to advocate for Americans’ right to fix products they own. PIRG has called on the FTC to issue new rules
addressing some of the most common barriers to repair.
“In every corner of this country, from Maine to Alaska, from Nebraska to Hawaii, Americans just want to fix their stuff,” explains U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Senior Right to Repair Campaign Director Nathan Proctor.

With valuable input from all 50 states from supporters and members like you, PIRG is urging for these important steps the FTC should take: create a Repair Score program, require manufacturers to provide a minimum standard of support for repairs, and protect repair choice.

Marylanders campaign to waste less energy and money

Saving the planet and saving Marylanders’ money?

On Jan. 17, more than 100 Marylanders representing 40 community, faith, consumer and environmental organizations turned out to launch the campaign to update EmPOWER Maryland, the state’s energy efficiency program.

The groups are calling on the Maryland General Assembly to pass an update to the program to align with the state’s climate goals by prioritizing the reduction of climate pollution along with energy conservation. The updated program would incentivize the use of healthy and efficient electric heating and appliances.

 “We want to adjust the EmPOWER program to prioritize reducing pollution while maintaining the program’s focus on efficiency. We know that the cleanest energy of all is the energy we don’t use,” said Emily Scarr, state director of Maryland PIRG.

On the Maryland PIRG website, you can ask your state legislators to support the Maryland Energy Efficiency Act of 2024, so we can save more and pollute less.