时代周刊 环保署的争议氛围(1)

The EPA's climate of controversy¹

环保署的争议氛围

By Justin Worland

文/贾斯汀·沃兰

THE BIG THREE U. S. AUTOMAKERS HIT THE road early to ask the Trump³ Administration to hit the brakes on regulation.

美国汽车制造业的三巨头早早地就向特朗普政府提出了放松监管政策的要求。

Not long after last year's presidential inauguration⁴, the CEOs of GM, Ford⁵ and Fiat⁶ Chrysler traveled to Washington, D.C.,

去年总统就职典礼后不久，通用、福特和菲亚特的CEO们便前往华盛顿

and made an in-person pitch to soften⁷ vehicle-emissions⁸ rules enacted⁹ under President Obama.

亲自游说特朗普政府放宽奥巴马执政期间制定的汽车尾气排放政策。

A few weeks later, during a visit to Detroit, President Trump promised to take care of the auto² industry.

几周后，在对底特律进行访问期间，特朗普总统承诺会关照汽车行业。

Now that Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt has delivered,

然而，由于环保署署长斯科特·普鲁伊特已经兑现了放宽政策的承诺，

however, carmakers are concerned that the rollback will bring a whole new set of challenges.

汽车制造商们担心，政策的推回会带来一系列新的挑战。

Pruitt announced on April 2 that he would undo¹⁰ a regulation

普鲁伊特4月2日宣布，他将撤销

that would have required automakers to reach an average fuel economy of 54.5 m.p.g. by 2025,

要求汽车制造商在2025年前将油耗降到平均每加仑54.5英里，

thereby¹¹ preventing 6 billion metric tons of global-warming-causing greenhouse-gas emissions and saving 12 billion barrels of oil.

从而减少60亿吨温室气体，节约120亿桶石油的规定。

The decision represents one of the Trump Administration's most aggressively regressive moves yet on climate change.

普鲁伊特的这一决定是特朗普政府迄今为止在气候变化问题上做出的最激进的推回动作之一。

In making the announcement, Pruitt criticized his predecessors¹² for unrealistic goals and promised to "get this right going forward."

在宣布这一决定时，普鲁伊特一方面批评了自己的前任们设置的目标不切实际，另一方面也承诺要“让形势回归正轨”。

But the rollout fell flat.

不过，普鲁伊特的这一决定并没有达到预期效果。

The EPA failed to find an auto dealer¹³ to play host,

环保署没能找到愿意充当东道主的汽车经销商，

so Pruitt delivered brief remarks at the agency's headquarters, with limited press access.

所以，普鲁伊特在环保署总部只发表了简短的讲话，同时只允许一小部分媒体采访。

Trump didn't show up.

在此期间，特朗普既没有露面,

Nor did he tweet about it, as he has for past environmental rollbacks.

也依旧没有在推特上发文，和过去几次环保政策推回时的情形一样。

And while auto-industry trade groups attended and praised the move,

而且，尽管汽车行业的多个商业集团都参加了会议并对普鲁伊特的举措表示赞赏，

individual car companies stayed largely silent, distancing themselves from the decision.

个体汽车企业基本上都持沉默态度，有意与这一决定保持距离。

In a blog post, Ford executive chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Hackett said

福特执行董事长比尔·福特和CEO吉姆·哈克特在一篇博客文章中表示，

that they "support increasing clean-car standards through 2025"

他们“支持2025年前提高清洁汽车的标准”，

and added, "At Ford, we believe we must deliver on CO2 reductions consistent with the Paris Climate Accord."

还说，“就福特内部而言，我们认为，我们必须兑现与巴黎气候协议一致的二氧化碳减排承诺。”

Indeed, those standards were one of two key policies

的确，那些标准可以说是

underpinning¹⁴ an Obama Administration promise to the world that the U.S. would address global warming,

奥巴马政府向世界承诺的，美国会解决全球变暖问题的两大关键政策之一，

and environmental scientists expected the rule to become increasingly important for reducing the nation's carbon footprint.

环境科学家估计，这一规定对美国减少碳足迹会越来越重要。

"Without the rules," says Ann Carlson, a professor of environmental law at the UCLA School of Law,

“没有了这些规定，”加州大学洛杉矶分校法学院环境法教授安·卡尔森表示，

"we're going to see a different kind of auto market."

“汽车市场就会大变样。”

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

5 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

6 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

7 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

8 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。

9 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

11 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

12 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

14 underpinning   

n.基础材料；基础结构；（学说、理论等的）基础；（人的）腿v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的现在分词 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• Underpinning this success has been an exemplary record of innovation. 具有典范性的创新确保了这次成功。 来自辞典例句
• But underpinning Mr Armstrong's technology changes is a human touch. 但阿姆斯特朗技术变革的支柱是人情味。 来自互联网