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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2012)
Page 8__________________________ "''Portland Observer B lack HÎStOty M o n th .________________ February 8,2012 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. New Prices « Effective May 1 ,2 0 1 0 Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services USS SUPER PAC Minimum Service C H G $45.00 A sm all distance/travel charge may be applied CA RPE T CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 sm all H allway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 -ne , Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Vi t/N iT^P s&'wïi S tairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services): $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs. $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs ( W ool): $40.00Minimum 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 Throw Pillows (With ^ 9 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 Clean Air Safeguards are Needed Coal plants put profits before people by O scar E ason In my role and stew ard o f the civil and human rights agenda of the N A A CP in Oregon, I learned something that scared me. There is a threat to communities nationwide, particularly communities of color and low income communities that we scarcely knew a thing about. Arsenic, mercury, lead and acid g a se s are sp e w in g fro m the nation’s coal fired pow er plants, putting people at risk across the country. Sixty-eight percent of African Am ericans live within 30 m iles of a coal fired power plant. Coal pow er plants produce 74 percent of all sulfur dioxide pollu tion, 18 percent of all nitrogen dioxide pollution and 42 percent of m ercury pollution from indus trial sources in the U.S. A report on power plant pollu tion found that em issions from all power plants in the U.S. are re sponsible for 30,000 prem ature deaths, 7,000 asthma-related emer gency room visits, and 18,000 cases o f chronic bronchitis each year. We know from friends like the Am erican Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, and oth ers that African Am ericans are twice as likely to die from asthma attacks and are more likely to have lung disease, in spite o f lower rates of smoking. All of these cre ate a grim intersecting pattern of exposure, im pact, and outcom es. NAACP and our partners re cently released a report, Coal Blooded: Putting Profits before People. The report analyzes 378 coal fired pow er plants across the country and ranks them based on their level of polluting em issions and their proxim ity to people. In Oregon, there is one coal fire power plant that was studied. According to our ranking, the Boardman Plant in Boardman, Ore., earned a grade of D- because of its level o f em issions and its close proxim ity to people, particularly people o f color and people with low incom es. C onsequently, our com m unities are disproportion ately exposed to the toxins, like m ercury, arsenic, and lead, being p u m p ed in to th e a ir by the Boardman Plant. The attack on O regon’s health by polluting facilities has a real cost on our lives. In July, the NAACP 102nd An nual Convention delegates unani m ously passed a resolution call ing for affirm ation of strong regu lations to safeguard clean air for im m ediate action to address pol lution from coal fired power plants. One of our constituents ex p re s s e d c o n c e rn at a re c e n t NAACP town hall meeting stat ing that he knew several people who suffer from asthm a, cardio vascular disease, and other health problem s associated with air tox ins and poor air quality. O ur legislators should strongly consider current and proposed m easures that reduce the pollu tion caused by coal fired power plants, like the M ercury and Air Toxics Rule, the Greenhouse Gas Rule and other related rules. Implementing the M ercury and Air Toxics Rule can result in major pollution reduction, which would save a significant num ber o f lives in Oregon. O ther proposed stan dards for the M ercury and Air Toxics Rule and an upcoming util ity carbon rule would be instru mental in protecting our health and economy. According to the E nvironm en tal Protection Agency, Oregon could also see a possible yield of $ 11 million to $28 million in health benefits each year if these rules were im plem ented. Supporting such safeguards would serve as an advantage for each and every Oregonian. We say yes to a healthier envi ronm ent and econom y by sup porting and im plem enting the M ercury and Air Toxics Rule and other upcom ing safeguards. L et’s take the lead Oregon! Oscar Eason is president o f the NAACP Oregon State Conference.
