Investing in America’s Priorities
On Feb. 24, 2009, the president introduced a budget plan that balances long-needed investments in our future and sensible budget savings. Taken as a whole, it prioritizes the concerns of the public over those of Washington’s entrenched special interests.
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The history of AKPIRG
In 1974 a small group of Alaskans formed a non-profit to protect consumers from big businesses insistent on taking advantage their customers. In the 35 years since then, the Alaska Public Interest Research Group has battled powerful interests across the state and advanced the interest of all Alaskans on a host of issues.
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Staff
The staff at AkPIRG may be small, but their work is gargantuan.
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Get Big Money Out of Politics
The overwhelming reliance on corporate cash for campaign contributions compromises citizens’ political power. AKPIRG helped get the legislature to pass a campaign finance reform bill by gathering signatures which insured that a reform initiative would appear if the legislature did not act. The bill would probably not have passed without the threat of an initiative by AkPIRG.
Defeat of Proposition 1
AkPIRG educated Alaskans about the potential loss of constitutional rights as proposed in the recent Prop 1 initiative to eliminate wildlife initiatives. Thanks to AkPIRG, Prop 1 was defeated in the November 2000 election.
Unplugging an Un-needed: a 2nd Kenai Electrical Intertie
Technology has eliminated the need for a second electrical intertie linking Anchorage with the Kenai Peninsula, yet Chugach Electric is trying to push ahead and use the $46.8 million in “free money” granted to it by the state in 1993. Research indicates the Intertie: is not needed and there are cost effective alternatives, is outdated due to fuel cell and other technologies reducing the need for centralized electric grids, is likely to fail with the risky undersea line under Turnagain Arm, would not provide power to communities cutoff from power by recent avalanches, risks potential harm to Turnagain arm and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. AkPIRG continues to lobby and bring expert testimony to the legislature in order to reappropriate the intertie money.
Task Force on a Comprehensive Energy Plan
In legislation passed by the Alaska House (HCR 1) AkPIRG was named to a Task Force desgined to plan for Alaska’s future energy needs. Alaska has never had such a body, and AkPIRG will work to represent consumers among nearly a dozen industry representatives. AkPIRG will work to ensure that cheap, reliable and environmentally friendly energy is available to Alaskans. In addition to ensuring that Alaskans will be able to benefit from North Slope natural gas, AkPIRG will promote the alternative energy successes of our circumpolar neighbors as well as the successes that have already helped Alaska’s economy and environment.
AkPIRG fought Raid on the PFD
While many legislators and the Governor endorsed the raid on Permanent Fund Dividends, AkPIRG’s research indicated the advisory ballot was a bad deal. By exposing the sources of money for the PFD raid, AkPIRG let Alaskans know that the largest contributors were oil companies and industrial tourism concerns that didn’t want to risk being a targeted for possible future taxes. Alaskans saw the ruse and defeated the raid by a margin of 83% to 17%–the largest ballot proposition victory in Alaska.
Workers’ Compensation
AkPIRG sponsors the Alaska Injured Workers’ Alliance (AIWA), a group of 500 injured workers who have banded together to aid one another in obtaining fair benefits for job-related injuries. AkPIRG and AIWA instigated the first ever legislative audit of the Workers’ Compensation system to spark reform in treatment of injured workers by government and the insurance industry.
BPAmoco-ARCO Merger
BP made a “compact” with the Governor that would have essentially handed over control of Alaska’s oil future to the company. It would have threatened Alaska’s political and economic well-being. AKPIRG bought public attention to the issue through media efforts, participated in the Backbone Alaska coalition, met with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and worked to get information that was needed for the FTC to make a good decision. AkPIRG helped win a fair deal to preserve competition. In the end, the FTC opposed the merger and ARCO’s Alaska assets were completely bought by Phillips Petroleum. The new merger still requires careful monitoring.