State Director, Illinois PIRG Education Fund
Started on staff: 2002
B.A., Haverford College
Abe Scarr is the director of Illinois PIRG and is the PIRG Energy and Utilities Program Director. He is a lead advocate in the Illinois Capitol and in the media for stronger consumer protections, utility accountability, and good government. In 2017, Abe led a coalition to pass legislation to implement automatic voter registration in Illinois, winning unanimous support in the Illinois General Assembly for the bill. He has co-authored multiple in-depth reports on Illinois utility policy and leads coalition campaigns to reform the Peoples Gas pipe replacement program. As PIRG’s Energy and Utilities Program Director, Abe supports PIRG energy and utility campaigns across the country and leads the national Gas Stoves coalition. He also serves as a board member for the Consumer Federation of America. Abe lives in Chicago, where he enjoys biking, cooking and tending his garden.
The crisis of spiraling heating costs already afflicting Illinois gas customers will reach catastrophic levels over the next decade if state policymakers don’t curb spending by utilities, according to a study released by the Building Decarbonization Coalition.
Despite mounting scientific evidence linking gas stove pollution to childhood asthma and known carcinogens, many sales associates at the country’s top retailers dismissed or downplayed concerns about this pollution during a recent “secret shopper” survey.
The 10 largest car insurance companies raised Illinois drivers’ rates by more than $1.25 billion in 2023, according to an analysis released Thursday by Illinois PIRG Education Fund.
Water beads, counterfeits, recalled toys also analyzed in 38th annual ‘Trouble in Toyland’ report.
In a victory for clean transportation, the Illinois EPA announces grants for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
