REPORTING ON WARMING—Diane E. Brown, Executive Director of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund, releases a new report on cars and global warming to the media.

Climate Change Group To Finalize Recommendations

Last year, Gov. Napolitano established a Climate Change Advisory Group to prepare an action plan to reduce global warming emissions. The Arizona PIRG Education Fund’s executive Director, Diane E. Brown, is an active participant in this process.

Global warming poses a serious threat to Arizona. Warmer temperatures could shrink fresh water supplies, increase the number of deaths from air pollution and heat, spread mosquito-borne illnesses, and impact Arizona’s economy, public health and environment in a host of other ways.

The Advisory Group is expected to finalize its recommendations by June 2006. These will likely include Arizona PIRG Education Fund supported measures on issues ranging from energy efficiency to transportation. ?

Arizona PIRG Supports Identity Theft Protections

Arizona has the highest rate of identity theft in the nation. The daily transmission of individuals’ private information through government agencies, financial institutions and the Internet without adequate security increasingly results in information being bought, sold and shared without consumers’ approval, leaving consumers vulnerable to identity theft.

Arizona PIRG is working on legislation to provide consumers the right to control access to their credit reports, require businesses to shred or otherwise protect identifying information in discarded records, and compel businesses to alert customers within forty-eight hours if their information has been stolen. ?

FDA Plan Lets Drug Makers Off The Hook

The Federal Drug Administration’s new drug-labeling rule would give drug makers protection from lawsuits filed in state court.

As more and more unsafe drugs like Vioxx find their way to the pharmacist’s shelves, the FDA’s rule would shield drug makers from responsibility, even if the company sells a drug after safety trials expose dangerous side effects. Vioxx drug maker Merck was responsible for as many as 40,000 cases of heart disease just five years after Vioxx hit the market.

Arizona PIRG and its allies around the country are working to stop the FDA’s rule and others that override strong state laws. ?

New Report on Cars’ Contribution to Global Warming

As part of the state’s Climate Change Advisory Group discussion, the Arizona PIRG Education Fund is working to bring clean cars to Arizona.

On Feb. 28, 2006, the Arizona PIRG Education Fund released “Cars and Global Warming: Policy Options to Reduce Arizona’s Global Warming Pollution.” The Report found that Arizona could limit its contribution to global warming over the next two decades by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from cars and light trucks.

Transportation-related emissions are responsible for approximately 39 percent of Arizona’s global warming pollution. Cars and light trucks are responsible for approximately 60 percent of all transportation emissions and more than one-fifth of Arizona’s total global warming pollution.

The Clean Cars Program addresses this by establishing limits on smog-forming and global warming pollution from cars and light trucks, through readily available technology.

By implementing the program, Arizona could reduce carbon dioxide pollution from cars and light trucks by about 14 percent below projected levels by 2020, while saving Arizonans money on fuel.