Formally founded in 1983 by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) is an outgrowth of Nader's Center for the Study of Responsive Law. PIRG aims to heighten consumer awareness and focuses on such environmental issues as clean air, toxic waste cleanup, protection of the atmosphere, pesticide control, and solid waste reduction. While PIRG did not convene as a national organization until 1983, its roots date back to 1970, when Nader began to establish state PIRGs throughout the United States. The national umbrella organization was founded to lobby for the state units.

PIRG has been vital in bringing about several important environmental regulations. In 1986, the organization led an aggressive campaign that resulted in the strengthening of the federal Superfund program, a $9-billion venture that identifies and provides for the cleanup of sites contaminated by hazardous waste. That same...