美国国家公共电台 NPR For The Few Who Heat Homes With Coal, It's Still King

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

In 1940, more than half of U.S. homes burned coal for heat. It was a big business and such a large part of the culture that a coal company even sponsored a popular radio drama.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Today Blue Coal brings you The Shadow's latest adventure - the "Bride Of Death."

GARCIA-NAVARRO: But after decades of decline, only around 130,000 homes use coal for heat today. Half are in Pennsylvania. NPR's Jeff Brady reports the state's coal industry has a plan to attract a few more customers.

JEFF BRADY, BYLINE¹: A recent convert to heating with coal is John Ord. Every few weeks, he stops by a local hardware store in northeastern Pennsylvania to buy his coal.

JOHN ORD: This is the whole glamorous² part right here.

BRADY: He loads 10 bags into the back of his white station wagon³. It costs Ord less than $60. And he says that'll keep his house toasty for a couple of weeks in winter. At Ord's house, he shows off his new coal stove. It burns 24 hours a day this time of year. On the back, he loads a hopper.

ORD: You'll take the lid off.

(SOUNDBITE OF BAG RUSTLING)

BRADY: He lifts the 40-pound bag chest high and empties it to feed the stove for another few days. It's more work than just setting a thermostat⁴. But Ord says this is less work than the wood stove he used to have.

ORD: Between cutting it, stacking it, letting it season, moving it into the space where you need to access it and then loading the stove.

BRADY: Ord also likes the constant heat his coal stove gives off. And he says it's cheaper than oil and electric. The coal he uses is different from what's burned in most power plants. Northeastern Pennsylvania is very proud of its anthracite coal, which is shinier and harder than you might expect. Ord says it burns cleaner, too. He heads outside to show me.

ORD: That's what you got coming out of the chimney. You can't even tell.

BRADY: OK, so no smoke or anything.

ORD: No smoke at all. There's no smell to it.

BRADY: But burning anthracite coal does emit more carbon dioxide per unit of heat than just about any other fuel. That makes it a contributor to climate change. Ord bought his stove from a company called Leisure Line. It has a small factory in Berwick, Pa.

(SOUNDBITE OF WELDER⁵ BUZZING)

BRADY: Co-owner Matt Atkinson fires up a welder to show how the stoves are built. He and a business partner bought the company a decade ago and says they sell 500 to 600 coal stoves in a typical year. Asked about climate change, Atkinson says the anthracite home-heating business is so small that it's not a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions⁶.

MATT ATKINSON: If you want to look at the major CO2 producers in the world, it's not us (laughter). And even if we quadrupled our current sales, it still wouldn't be a problem.

BRADY: Increasing sales is a goal. The local anthracite coal industry plans a marketing⁷ campaign to boost its image.

ATKINSON: It's mostly about growing market share within the home-heating industry.

BRADY: He hopes to attract a new generation of customers who want to save money on heat. In Reading, Pa., Kelly Brown welcomes the campaign. Her family's business has sold coal for nearly a century and is one of the few to survive the industry's decline.

KELLY BROWN: In this general area, there was probably about 50 coal companies. Slowly, one by one, they started closing up. I think we're the only one in Berks County anymore since - for the last 10 years.

BRADY: Brown says maybe a marketing campaign will turn the industry around. And maybe they'll take a cue from some of those old radio jingles⁸ like this one, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) Blue Coal's dependable - can't be beat.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: For even burning...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Steady heat.

BRADY: Jeff Brady, NPR News

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) Just pick up the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Number please.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) Tell your Blue Coal man...

1 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。

2 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

3 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

4 thermostat   

n.恒温器

参考例句：

• The thermostat is connected by a link to the carburetor.恒温控制器是由一根连杆与汽化器相连的。
• The temperature is controlled by electronic thermostat with high accuracy.电子恒温器，准确性高。

5 welder   

n电焊工

参考例句：

• He left school at 15 to become an apprentice to a welder.他15岁离开了中学成为一个焊接工人的学徒。
• Welder done at least once a month when the dust handling.焊机时每月至少做一次除尘处理。

6 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 jingles   

叮当声( jingle的名词复数 )； 节拍十分规则的简单诗歌

参考例句：

• Can I give Del and Mr. Jingles some? 我可以分一点给戴尔和金格先生吗？
• This story jingles bells for many of my clients. 这个故事对我许多客户来说都耳熟能详。