Page 8__________________________
"''Portland Observer B lack HÎStOty M o n th
.________________ February 8,2012
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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.