Weekly Address: "Instead of Subsidizing Yesterday's Energy Sources, We Need to Invest in Tomorrow's"
每周电视讲话：“我们需要投资未来的能源，而不是继续为过去的能源提供补贴”
WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Obama laid out his plans to address rising gas prices over the short and the long term. While there is no silver bullet to bring down prices right away, there are a few things we can do. This week, the Attorney General launched a task force dedicated to rooting out fraud or manipulations in the oil markets. The President called for finally ending the $4 billion in taxpayer money that the oil and gas companies receive annually. And, we need to continue safe, responsible production of oil at home. But in the long term, we need to invest in clean, renewable energy. That is why the President strongly disagrees with a proposal in Congress that cuts our investments in clean energy by 70 percent.
华盛顿：在本周的讲话中，奥巴马总统提出了他对油价上涨问题的短期和长期解决方案。虽然没有一劳永逸的方法让油价立马下降，但依然还是有很多值得我们去做的事情。本周，司法部长组织了一个特别工作组致力于根除石油市场的欺诈和恶意操纵。总统呼吁终结用纳税人的钱为石油气公司每年提供40亿美元的补贴。另外，我们需要继续安全、负责任地增加国内石油产量。但从长远来看，我们还需要投资清洁、可再生能源。总统先生强烈反对国会提出的把清洁能源领域的投资削减70%的提案，原因也在于此。
This is a time of year when people get together with family and friends to observe Passover and to celebrate Easter. It’s a chance to give thanks for our blessings and reaffirm our faith, while spending time with the people we love. We all know how important that is – especially in hard times. And that’s what a lot of people are facing these days.
每年的这个时候，大家都与家人和朋友团聚在一起守逾越节并庆祝复活节。与心爱的人一起渡过的这段时间，是向神赐祝福表示感谢和坚定我们的信仰的好机会。我们都知道这有多么重要，尤其在艰难的时期。这也是这些日子里大多数的人们所面临的现实。
Even though the economy is growing again and we’ve seen businesses adding jobs over the past year, many are still looking for work. And even if you haven’t faced a job loss, it’s still not easy out there. Your paycheck isn’t getting bigger, while the cost of everything from college for your kids to gas for your car keeps rising. That’s something on a lot of people’s minds right now, with gas prices at $4 a gallon. It’s just another burden when things were already pretty tough.
尽管经济在持续增长，我们也看见企业在去年新增了不少就业岗位，但依然有很多人还在找工作。即使你没有面临失业，在工作上也不会太轻松。你们的薪水没有涨，但从孩子的学费到汽车油价每一样都在涨价。油价涨到了4美元一加仑（约合￥6.84/L），现在大多数人脑子里想的都是这事儿。事情本来就很艰难，这无疑是给大家增添了又一重担。
Now, whenever gas prices shoot up, like clockwork, you see politicians racing to the cameras, waving three-point plans for two dollar gas. You see people trying to grab headlines or score a few points. The truth is, there’s no silver bullet that can bring down gas prices right away.
现在，只要油价一上涨，肯定的，大家就能看见政客们冲到摄像机前，挥舞着将油价降到两美元的三点计划。他们想方设法登上头条新闻，以此博得大家的好感。事实是，根本没有一劳永逸的方案将油价立马降下来。
But there are a few things we can do. This includes safe and responsible production of oil at home, which we are pursuing. In fact, last year, American oil production reached its highest level since 2003. On Thursday, my Attorney General also launched a task force with just one job: rooting out cases of fraud or manipulation in the oil markets that might affect gas prices, including any illegal activity by traders and speculators. We’re going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain. And another step we need to take is to finally end the $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies we give to the oil and gas companies each year. That’s $4 billion of your money going to these companies when they’re making record profits and you’re paying near record prices at the pump. It has to stop.
当然，我们还是能做很多事情的。包括安全、负责任地增加国内石油产量，当然，这也是我们追求的。实际上，去年，美国的石油产量就达到了自2003年以来的最高值。上周四，司法部长组建了一个特别工作组专门进行一项工作：根除那些会影响油价的各种欺诈和操纵行为，包括任何交易商和投机商的非法行为。我们将确保没有人可以占美国人民的便宜来为自己谋取短期利益。我们需要做的另一件事情就是终结用纳税人的钱给石油气公司每年提供40亿美元的补贴。这40亿美元是你们大家的钱，却流进了这些公司的口袋，为他们创造出创纪录的利润，而大家却在加油站支付着几乎是创纪录的油价。这一补贴必须停止。
Instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy sources, we need to invest in tomorrow’s. We need to invest in clean, renewable energy. In the long term, that’s the answer. That’s the key to helping families at the pump and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. We can see that promise already. Thanks to an historic agreement we secured with all the major auto companies, we’re raising the fuel economy of cars and trucks in America, using hybrid technology and other advances. As a result, if you buy a new car in the next few years, the better gas mileage is going to save you about $3,000 at the pump.
我们需要投资于未来的能源，而不是为过去的能源提供补贴。我们需要为清洁的、可再生能源进行投资。从长远来看，这才是出路。这才是帮助所有家庭承担油价并降低我们对海外石油依赖的关键。由于有了与各主要汽车生产商达成的具有历史意义的协议，通过采用混合动力技术和其他高科技，我们持续提高国内汽车和卡车的燃油效率。因此，未来几年里，如果你买了新车，更省油的车将为你在油费支出上节约3000美元。
But we need to do more. We need to harness the potential I’ve seen at promising start-ups and innovative clean energy companies across America. And that’s at the heart of a debate we’re having right now in Washington about the budget.
我们还需要做更多。我们需要激发全美有良好前景的创业企业和创新型清洁能源公司的潜力。这是现在华盛顿就预算进行激烈辩论的核心所在。
Both Democrats and Republicans believe we need to reduce the deficit. That’s where we agree. The question we’re debating is how we do it. I’ve proposed a balanced approach that cuts spending while still investing in things like education and clean energy that are so critical to creating jobs and opportunities for the middle class. It’s a simple idea: we need to live within our means while at the same time investing in our future.
民主党和共和党双方都认为我们需要减少赤字。在这一点上我们是一致的。问题是我们在如何做到这一点上争论不已。我已经提出了一项在削减支出的同时为教育和清洁能源进行投资的平衡方案，这些投资对创造就业和为中产阶级创造机遇至关重要。这是一个简单的想法：我们需要量入为出，但我们同时也需要投资未来。
That’s why I disagree so strongly with a proposal in Congress that cuts our investments in clean energy by 70 percent. Yes, we have to get rid of wasteful spending – and make no mistake, we’re going through every line of the budget scouring for savings. But we can do that without sacrificing our future. We can do that while still investing in the technologies that will create jobs and allow the United States to lead the world in new industries. That’s how we’ll not only reduce the deficit, but also lower our dependence on foreign oil, grow the economy, and leave for our children a safer planet. And that’s what our mission has to be.
我坚决反对国会将清洁能源领域投资削减70%的提案，原因就在于此。是的，我们必须消除浪费性支出，而且不能犯错误，我们审查了预算的每一个项目就是为了要节约。但我们可以在避免牺牲我们未来的前提下做到这些。我们可以在继续投资于创造就业和让美国领导全球的新产业的同时做到这一点。这不仅仅是我们降低赤字的途径，也是降低我们对海外石油依赖性、促进增长经济、为我们的孩子留下一个更安全的星球的途径。这是我们必须完成的使命。
Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend.
谢谢聆听,周末愉快! |