美国国家公共电台 NPR--Inflation Reduction Act may help low-income Montanans get air conditioning

Inflation Reduction Act may help low-income Montanans get air conditioning

Transcript¹

Montana has seen a record number of hot days this summer. More are forecasted as the climate changes. The state is trying to adapt with some help from the Inflation Reduction Act.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It is real hot in the American West right now. August was the hottest month on record in parts of Montana, and it's not letting up. Some areas are seeing 100-degree temperatures in September for the very first time. Climate forecasts project more heat waves in the future, so air conditioning is just going to become crucial in places where people have never needed it before. Here's Montana Public Radio's Aaron Bolton.

ALYSSA ALSOP: We have, like, 16 fans going.

AARON BOLTON, BYLINE²: Alyssa Alsop lives in a subsidized apartment complex just 17 miles from Glacier³ National Park. There's no air conditioning here. And she says it's been so hot inside, her 1-1/2-year-old daughter has been sick.

ALSOP: And then she started puking every night, probably a good three times a night. And I'm like, she's too hot. I would give her three, four cold baths, but how many times can I do that?

BOLTON: Alsop eventually took her daughter to the emergency room because she couldn't stop vomiting⁴.

Cathy Whitlock, a Montana State University professor who wrote Montana's climate change assessment⁵, says some are suffering more than others.

CATHY WHITLOCK: It affects the old and the very young, people far from services, people with health conditions, people who live in poverty that don't have access to cooling systems.

BOLTON: Whitlock says summers like these will only become more common in climate models.

WHITLOCK: So that covers large areas of Montana, and I think it's probably our No. 1 concern about climate change going forward.

BOLTON: Amy Cilimburg at the nonprofit Climate Smart Missoula is trying to help spur heat adaptation in Montana. Cooling centers don't really work in rural areas with dispersed⁶ populations, so more people will need home air conditioning.

AMY CILIMBURG: It's not just a comfort thing. It's actually essential to have the ability to cool your - the place that you sleep, right?

BOLTON: Cilimburg has been working on helping⁷ low-income people get AC for about a year, but...

CILIMBURG: How do we actually fund this?

BOLTON: The most climate-friendly option is heat pumps, which also provide air conditioning, but can cost thousands of dollars.

CILIMBURG: It's complicated. And it - you know, these new heat pumps cost money. So that's where the Inflation Reduction Act is just really exciting.

BOLTON: The Inflation Reduction Act President Biden signed last month earmarks $4.3 billion for rebates⁸ to help low- and middle-income homeowners swallow the upfront cost of installing a heat pump. Cilimburg's organization is preparing to help people navigate⁹ the new rebates and pick up additional costs. And a little AC makes a big difference. Alyssa Alsop in Columbia Falls was finally able to install a window air-conditioning unit, despite it being against her apartment complex rules.

ALSOP: I - we put that in yesterday, and it feels a lot better in here.

BOLTON: Yeah. How hot was it getting in here?

ALSOP: I would say more than probably a hundred degrees. You know, it was to the point where you couldn't sit in here.

BOLTON: Alsop says with the cool air blowing, her daughter slept through the night without puking for the first time in days. Whether the Inflation Act's incentives¹⁰ will lead landlords to outfit¹¹ more apartments like Alsop's with air conditioning remains¹² to be seen.

Diego Rivas with the nonprofit Northwest Energy Coalition¹³ says the federal government is still hashing out exactly what those incentives will look like.

DIEGO RIVAS: But hopefully, with the IRA, these investments become, you know, cost-neutral, so to speak.

BOLTON: How effective the legislation is in helping Montanans get air conditioning depends on how much this Republican state cooperates with the Biden White House, whether they can efficiently¹⁴ help people and landlords access the federal funding with minimum hassle.

For NPR News, I'm Aaron Bolton in Columbia Falls, Mont.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE HALIFAX PIER SONG, "STRANGE NEWS FROM ANOTHER STAR")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

4 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

5 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

6 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 rebates   

n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣

参考例句：

• The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点，如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
• In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句

9 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

10 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。