Consumer Protection
Alaska PIRG has been invested in protecting consumers for more than 35 years. From cracking down on Payday Loans to protecting against price gouging and reporting on unsafe products, AKPIRG continues to stand up against powerful interests on behalf of ordinary citizens.
Our product safety net isn’t up to the job of protecting us from dangerous product. For one, America is facing a hyper-competitive, globalized marketplace, with enormous pressure to cut costs—and cut corners. And at the very moment that both corporate CEOs and top government officials should be demanding greater vigilance, we’ve seen regulations weakened or repealed and funding for watchdog agencies slashed. Just 20 years ago, there were twice as many staff at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the body charged with ensuring the safety of consumer goods. Funding at that agency is now at an all-time low. And the CPSC, along with other agencies led by administration appointees, is too willing to let companies call the shots.
AKPIRG, along with U.S. PIRG and in cooperation with other states continues to monitor important consumer issues across the state. We strive to stand up for Alaskan citizens to provide a voice against businesses and corporations focused more on the bottom line than on fairness within the marketplace.
