Bill could make sure consumers get timely refunds when their utility company overcharges them

The Alaska legislature is considering a bill that would make sure consumers get timely refunds when their utility company overcharges them. Check out our letter of support:

Dear legislator,
On behalf of the Alaska Public Interest Research Group, I’d like to express our support for House Bill 39. As Alaska’s oldest and largest consumer watchdog group, AKPIRG has been advocating for consumers and the public interest since 1974. We’re a non-partisan, non-profit, citizen based grassroots organization, and we focus on research, public education and engagement, and advocacy at the state level to further our mission.

One of the issues we have consistently been concerned with is the cost and fairness of Alaskan consumers’ monthly bills– rent, mortgages, mobile phones, and of course, heat and electricity. These Utility bills are a very significant part of the household expenses of families all over Alaska. When a utility company is compelled to refund some of the money charged to consumers, whether the amount is large or small, it should happen quickly in order to get those
funds to Alaskans that need them.

HB 39 is a very simple piece of legislation that will help ensure that this is the case. By requiring utilities to outline a refund plan when they apply for a rate hike that, regardless of likelihood, there is a plan in place to make sure that the refund happens quickly and efficiently. Alaska consumers deserve nothing less.

From our standpoint it really is as simple as that, and we believe that the bill as written provides an appropriate level of flexibility in implementation for the regulatory commission of alaska to realize the goals of this legislation.
So, on behalf of our members we urge your support and speedy action on this bill.

AKPIRG Releases 25th Annual Toy Safety Report, Hosts Free Toxic Toy Screenings in Anchorage

Anchorage, Nov 26th, – Dangerous or toxic toys can still be found on America’s store shelves, Alaska Public Interest Research Group announced today in its 25th annual Trouble in Toyland report.
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AKPIRG to Host Toxic Toy Screenings Around Anchorage


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AKPIRG director Matt Wallace on KTVA channel 11– let’s talk campaign disclosure.

The KTVA evening news last night had a good story on the sorry state of campaign spending disclosure laws, featuring AKPIRG director Matt Wallace.
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AKPIRG opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News: It’s time to move forward on Fire Island Wind.

You can read the story at the ADN here, or text below.
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AKPIRG is hiring a new organizer to work on ratepayer and utility issues

AkPIRG seeks a qualified, motivated, and committed individual to serve as Ratepayer Coordinator to work full-time on electric utility issues in Alaska. Much of the coordinator’s efforts will be focused on developing the ratepayer movement in Alaska, uniting these groups from a consumer/economic perspective, and engaging them year round with the goal of providing the resources needed to elevate ratepayers into spokespeople that can advocate clean energy and energy efficiency solutions from an economic standpoint.
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Wall Street Reform Scorecard: Alaska Senators Ranked

Did They Vote For Main Street or Wall Street? A leading state public interest advocacy organization compared a series of key votes of U.S. Senators during consideration of the Restoring American Financial Stability Act this month and found that Senator Begich supported Main Street over Wall Street 91% of the time and Senator Murkowski supported Main St 18% of the time.
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Senate Takes Historic Step Towards Reining in Wall Street, Protecting Consumers

Senate passage of the Restoring American Financial Stability Act, S. 3217, tonight was long over-due and sets the stage for final passage of an historic reform. This bill to rein in Wall Street is a bill that Main Street will like. While the bill isn’t perfect, it includes strong measures to rein in Wall Street’s casino bets, regulate the shadow derivatives markets, protect consumers and prevent future economic meltdowns.
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Amendment to gut consumer protection in Wall Street reform fails

Today the Senate soundly defeated (38-61) the dangerous amendment to the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau included in the Senate’s Wall Street reform bill.  Kudos to Senator Begich, who joined the bipartisan vote against this dangerous amendment.  Unfortunately, Senator Murkowski sided with Wall Street instead of Main Street, in supporting the amendment to bludgeon consumer protection– a cornerstone of real financial reform.
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Wall Street Reform Amendment Guide Tracks Public Interest Votes

A new publication from the Alaska Public Interest Research Group released today guides Senators through the maze of amendments likely to be offered for the Restoring America’s Financial Security Act of 2010 and indicates which way to vote – “yes” or “no” – in the public interest.

The Wall Street Reform Amendment Guide: A Senators’ Guide to Public Interest Votes That Protect Consumers, available online here, explains to Senators, their constituents and the media how to understand what is at stake with each set of amendments and why a public interest vote is crucial to America’s financial security.

“We expect many, many amendments – some meant to weaken or even gut the bill and others meant to strengthen the proposed legislation. It is crucial that Senators Murkowski and Begich, their constituents and the media know how they should each vote if they want to protect our economy and our families from another potential meltdown,” explained Matt Wallace, Executive Director for AKPIRG.

In addition to releasing the guide – which was distributed to Senate offices and the media on Thursday –AKPIRG will be tracking votes on amendments on a daily basis and scoring each Senator on their public interest vote. Watch for updates to the page.

“The public needs a voter’s guide and score card to follow Senators and see clearly which Senators are casting their votes for Main Street families and which are voting for Wall Street CEOs,” Wallace concluded.

To see the Amendment Guide online at the U.S. PIRG website, click here.
To download a PDF version, click here.