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3'*’t jportlanò (Phserlirr
HOUSING
special edition
April 6, 2011
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New Prices
Effective
May 1 ,2 0 1 0
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A small distance/travel charge
may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
PWTivay PREPARlhfr FOR. W
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
f HEW (SENERATÍ p MS x ,, J
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
O ther Services): $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs.
$25.(X) Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool):
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
z /,%
Throw Pillows (WM
Other Services): $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
Nuclear Power Rips off Taxpayers
Profits are
private, but
risks are borne
by public
by
R yan A lexander
We
have
all
watched the nuclear
em ergency that fol­
lowed Japan's tragic
earthquake and tsu­
nami with fear and
sym pathy for those in the sur­
rounding com m unity and adm ira­
tion for the brave crew s working
to reduce the harm and risks of
radiation exposure.
M eanw hile, the evidence of
partial nuclear m eltdown at the
Dai-ichi nuclear pow er station in
Fukushim a has created a flurry of
activity on Capitol Hill. Lobbyists
for the nuclear industry are w alk­
ing the halls and hosting closed-
door sessions with lawmakers and
their staff to squelch any con­
cerns that a sim ilar disaster could
happen at any of the 23 U.S. reac­
tors o f the same design.
N aturally, one o f the first ques­
tions we are all asking ourselves
is: could this happen here? If noth­
ing else, this tragedy has re ­
minded us how dangerous
nuclear pow er can be, and
how difficult it is to re­
spond in the event o f an
unforeseen disaster.
N uclear power in the
United States has always
operated with a strange di­
chotom y: the profits are
private, but the risks and liability
are borne by the public. The
nuclear industry is one o f the most
heavily subsidized energy sectors
and has been since its develop­
ment in the 1940s.
One practically incalculable
subsidy com es from the 1957
Price-A nderson Act, which pro­
vides for the federal (read: tax­
payer) assum ption o f liability in
the event o f a catastrophic acci­
dent.
Like offshore oil drilling compa­
nies, the nuclear industry has a cap
on what it has to pay in the event of
a major accident. And as we saw
with the BPoil disaster, the true cost
of restoring the surrounding envi­
ronment after an accident can cost
far more than what the company is
required to pay.
Taxpayers share the industry's
costs o f going through the pro­
cess of getting a license to oper­
ate. We subsidize the industry by
assuming the financial risk if com ­
panies endure delays or go bank­
rupt while trying to build a nuclear
reactor. And, if there's a delay
because regulators raise a safety,
security, or financial concern, tax­
payers pick up the tab.
Those are just a few of the many
ways taxpayers pay to prop up the
nuclear industry. We also pony
up billions more through feder­
ally backed loan guarantees.
Taxpayers are already on the
hook for more than $ 18 billion in
guarantees for loans financing the
first new U.S. nuclear reactors
slated for construction in a gen­
eration. President Barack O bam a’s
proposed 2012 budget would add
$36 billion more.
Last year, the Energy Depart­
ment awarded its first guarantee
to Southern Com pany in Georgia.
Next in line is a project in Texas
that is to be partially financed by
Japan-based Toshiba.
For years, the nuclear industry
has lobbied Congress to maintain
friends in the right places. In addi­
tion to keeping the regulatory wheels
greased, this helps them increase
and maintain their subsidies.
At the end o f the day, w hether
you support nuclear power or not,
subsidizing and thereby a rtifi­
cially lessening the nuclear power
industry's financial risks is just
plain fiscally irresponsible.
If nuclear power can com pete
on the open m arket, then it should
foot its own bills. But if private
lenders find the risks too great,
then the industry will rightfully
stall. Taxpayers shouldn't shoul­
der this burden any longer.
Ryan Alexander is president o f
Taxpayers fo r Common Sense, a
nonpartisan fe d e r a l budget
watchdog.