News Releases

News Release | ConnPIRG | Energy

Nuclear Power Plants Threaten Drinking Water for 1.5 Million Connecticut Residents

West Hartford, CT – The drinking water for 1.5 million people in Connecticut could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a nuclear power plant, says a new study released today by Environment Connecticut Research and Policy Center and the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

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News Release | Higher Ed

College Students ‘Subprimed’

Many of today’s college students face unnecessary financial risks by relying on unregulated private student loans to pay for college, with some students paying up to 18 percent interest.

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News Release | Higher Ed

New Consumer Finance Chief Can Lower Student Debt

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Obama is taking a bold step to protect student consumers from financial tricks and traps by announcing a recess appointment of his well-qualified nominee, Richard Cordray, to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB can improve private student loans as well as credit cards and debit cards issued on campus.

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News Release | Textbooks

'Textbook Rebellion' Launches Cross-Country Tour

The Textbook Rebellion kicked off a six-week, cross-country tour with events planned for 40 campuses nationwide. At the tour stop, the University of Maryland, coalition members, students, faculty and a representative from the U.S. Department of Education were joined by the tour mascots, 'Mr. $200 Textbook' and 'Textbook Rebel,' to announce the launch.

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News Release | Textbooks

New Laws, Free Books and Textbook Rentals Could Help Curb Rising Costs This Fall

BOSTON, Mass. (August 26, 2010) — Students across the country are gearing up for sticker shock over textbook prices this semester. The average student spends $900 per year on textbooks, and new calculations by ConnPIRG students show that costs have increased at an astounding rate: textbook wholesale prices have risen more than four times the rate of inflation over the last two decades (1990-2009).