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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2018)
Scooter Rentals Begin SNAP Saved at Farmers Markets Food Bank connects low income shoppers ‘City of Roses’ Motorized electronic scooters hit Portland See Local News, page 3 See Metro, page 9 Volume XLVII • Number 30 Established in 1970 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • August 1, 2018 Committed to Cultural Diversity photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver Rev. E.D. Mondainé, president of the Portland NAACP, pastor of the Celebration Tabernacle in north Portland, and primary spokesman for a ballot measure this November that would require big businesses in Portland to apply a 1 percent surcharge on their sales to a Clean Energy Fund. The measure would fund environmental projects and provide job training and new business assistance for low income populations impacted by pollution. A Business Tax for Climate Justice Advocates say ballot measure supports communities of color b everly C orbell t he p ortlanD o bserver It’s high time big business does its part to support communities of color. And that means backing a proposed Clean Energy Fund to combat global warming and pro- vide job training and help forming new businesses for the diverse and low-income populations impacted by by pollution and changes in the economy. That’s the message of Rev. E.D. Mondainé (pronounced MON-de-nay), president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP, pastor of the Celebration Taberna- cle in north Portland, and primary spokesman for the Portland Just Energy Transition Initiative or PDX04. Poised for placement on the ballot this November, the mea- sure would require big businesses in Portland to apply a 1 percent surcharge on their sales in the city if the business has at least $1 billion in annual revenue and at least $500,000 of that revenue from within the city limits. Most groceries and medicine would be exempt. The Clean Energy Fund would be used to encourage and promote eco-friendly measures such as weatherproofing and solar instal- lations, and to train low-income people to do the work and eventu- ally open their own businesses and create even more green jobs. “We plan to raise about $30 mil- lion dollars (annually) which will help us do better weatherization, create jobs for energy efficiency, solar power, etc., and to make the heavy load of home utility bills a lot lighter,” Mondainé said. He said the revenue would off- C ontinueD on p age 4
