Public Citizen

Public Citizen is a nongovernmental organization founded in 1971 by Ralph Nader and currently run by its president Robert Weissman. It fights "for openness and democratic accountability in government, for the right of consumers to seek redress in the courts; for clean, safe and sustainable energy sources; for social and economic justice in trade policies; for strong health, safety and environmental protections; and for safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs and health care," its website states.

In January, 2010, Public Citizen co-launched Free Speech for People.org which is, according to its website, "a campaign sponsored by Voter Action (voteraction.org), Public Citizen (citizen.org), the Center for Corporate Policy (corporatepolicy.org)  and American Independent Business Alliance (amiba.net) to restore the First Amendment's free speech guarantees for the people, and to preserve and promote democracy and self-government." It was launched in the wake of the landmark Supreme Court decision of January 20, 2010, overturning most restrictions on corporate and labor union funding in U.S. election.

Public Citizen Oppose Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill
On May 17, 2010 an alliance of 15 social justice, environmental and community organizations joined together to stop the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act from passing. The coalition, called Climate Reality Check, believed Congress needed to head back to the drawing board and start over. The coalition included the Center for Biological Diversity, Public Citizen, among others. Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen stated, "It's not accurate to call this a climate bill. This is nuclear energy- promoting, oil drilling-championing, coal mining-boosting legislation with a weak carbon pricing mechanism thrown in."

Grassroots members of the Sierra Club also opposed the initial bill, stating that the national organization's position was nuanced and too supportive of the legislation.

Divisions

 * Auto Safety
 * Congress Watch - "champions consumer interests before the U.S. Congress."
 * Energy Program - "safeguards consumers from the impacts of electricity deregulation"
 * Global Trade Watch - "promotes democracy by challenging corporate globalization"
 * Health Research Group
 * Litigation Group

Contact information
1600 20th St. NW Washington, DC. 20009 Phone: (202) 588-1000 Web: http://www.citizen.org/

Public Citizen has two offices in Washington, DC and state offices in Texas and California.

Reports

 * "The Bankrollers: Lobbyists’ Payments to the Lawmakers They Court, 1998 - 2006," Public Citizen, Congress Watch, May 2006. (73-page pdf).

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Citizen groups working on coal issues
 * Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act