Minnesota Public Interest Research Group
Encyclopedia
| Established | 1971 |
| Exec. Dir. | Joshua Winters |
| Chair | Natalie Cook |
| Vice Chair | Lucas Felts |
| Treasurer | Hannah Beth Starr |
| Secretary | Annie Chen |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Homepage | www.mpirg.org |
The Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (also known as MPIRG) describes itself as "a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
, non-partisan, nonprofit, student-directed organization that empowers and trains students and engages the community to take collective action in the public interest throughout the state of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
." http://www.mpirg.org/About/index.htm
History
MPIRG was incorporated on February 17, 1971. Students at the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
collected 25,200 signatures that year to start the first MPIRG chapter in Minnesota and start the first PIRG in the nation. College students collected more than 50,000 signatures in all to start chapters at college campuses across the state. The motivating idea was for students to join together in collective action to advocate in the public interest, and to use the activity fees they collected from each school to support a staff of professionals that could train them to become powerful advocates in the public policy arena. MPIRG's unique strategy to empower students has led to an impressive list of accomplishments, including protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , is a wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service...
in northern Minnesota from environmental damage and championing strict ethical standards for lobbyists. http://www.mpirg.org/About/index.htm
Accomplishments
- 1972: Conducted a joint study with local unions and state AFL-CIOAFL-CIOThe American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
that resulted in a ban of the use of asbestosAsbestosAsbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
in new building construction. - 1974: Helped pass legislationLegislationLegislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
requiring lobbyists to register and disclose spending and contributions. - 1977: MPIRG research and legislation created a state ban on fluorocarbons.
- 1978: Passed the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness ActBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness ActThe BWCA Wilderness Act of 1978 created the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , which was previously known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The bill was introduced in October 1975 by United States Congressman Jim Oberstar and was a source of major controversy and debate...
to create the nation's sole 'paddle-only' wilderness area. - 1983: Sued Northwestern BellNorthwestern BellNorthwestern Bell Telephone Company served the states just north of the Southwestern Bell area, including: Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.- Early beginnings :Northwestern Bell's earliest roots begin in Deadwood, South Dakota...
to reduce telephone rates by $69.1 million. - 1984: Mobilized 10,000 citizens statewide to stop the siting of a high-level radioactive waste dump in Minnesota.
- 1985: Established a statewide, toll-free Tennant/Landlord hotline.
- 1986: Worked with farmers, sports enthusiasts and environmentalists to establish the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program.
- 1987: Prevented the deregulationDeregulationDeregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
of small business and residential phone service. - 1988: Re-established the Renters Credit property tax refund, which had been cut 33%.
- 1989: MPIRG passed the New and Used Car Lemon LawsLemon LawsLemon laws are American state laws that provide a remedy for purchasers of cars in order to compensate for cars that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance. These vehicles are called lemons. The federal lemon law protects citizens of all states. State lemon laws vary by state...
and obtains $650,000 for consumers in a Solar Tax Credit Class Action lawsuit. - 1990: Banned the dumping of low-level nuclear waste in landfills and incinerators; helped to draft and pass the Minnesota Pollution Prevention Act to reduce toxic air emissions.
- 1992: MPIRG's BARTER project established Minnesota's first solid waste materials exchange. The exchange assists businesses in reducing their waste through reuse and exchange.
- 1993: Minnesota court of appeals rules in MPIRG's favor on Prairie IslandPrairie IslandPrairie Island may refer to:*Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota*Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant located nearby*Prairie Island Township, Merrick County, Nebraska...
radioactive wasteRadioactive wasteRadioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
storage case. Dry cask storage must have legislative approval and be considered permanent. - 1994: Passed the strongest legislation in the nation to stop Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), which are filed against citizen activists who publicly oppose proposed policies or projects.
- 1996: Passed truth in environmental advertising legislation that it drafted in and first introduced in 1983.
- 1998: Successfully lobbied for allocation of $4 million to Metro Greenways and Natural Areas Project.
- 1999: MPIRG's lobby campaign results in allocation of $8 million for the Inclusionary Housing Fund to create mixed income housing in Minnesota.
- 2000: MPIRG successfully lobbied for $110 million comprehensive package of environmental investments in the Legacy Initiative.
- 2001: Secured increases in the amount spent on energy conservation and raised requirements for energy-efficiency in publicly-funded buildings as a part of the POWER Campaign (People Organizing for Workers the Environment and Ratepayers).
- 2002: Won a campaign at the University of Minnesota to ensure that all apparel is sweatshopSweatshopSweatshop is a negatively connoted term for any working environment considered to be unacceptably difficult or dangerous. Sweatshop workers often work long hours for very low pay, regardless of laws mandating overtime pay or a minimum wage. Child labour laws may be violated. Sweatshops may have...
free with the signing of a Code of ConductCode of ConductA code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities of or proper practices for an individual, party or organization. Related concepts include ethical codes and honor codes....
. - 2006: Worked with the Better Ballot Campaign to bring instant-runoff votingInstant-runoff votingInstant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...
to Minneapolis city elections. IRV passed as a ballot referendum by 65%. - 2007: Produced the Vagina Monologues, Eve EnslerEve EnslerEve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
's groundbreaking play, and raised over $110,000 for women's shelters and advocacy. - 2007: MPIRG worked with the Clean Energy MN Coalition to help pass a Renewable Electricity Standard for MN. The RES sets a requirement that a growing percentage of power generation must come from new renewable energy resources until we reach 25% by 2025.
- 2008: Helped influence University of Minnesota President Robert H. Bruininks to sign the President's Climate Commitment.
- 2009: MPIRG worked with the Healthy Legacy Coalition to make Minnesota the first state to phase-out the use of Bisphenol ABisphenol ABisphenol A is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications....
(BPA), a known endocrine disruptor and carcinogen, from use in children's products.
Chapters
MPIRG has chapters at 7 colleges and universities across the state of Minnesota. They are:- Augsburg CollegeAugsburg CollegeAugsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
- Hamline UniversityHamline University-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
- Macalester CollegeMacalester CollegeMacalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
- St. Catherine UniversitySt. Catherine Universityis a private university in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. It was established first as a women's junior college in 1966 and became a women's four-year university in 1988. It became a co-educational university in 2004.-External links:*...
- University of Minnesota DuluthUniversity of Minnesota DuluthThe University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
- University of Minnesota Morris
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Additional Resources
- The historical records of MPIRG are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.