VOA标准英语2010年-Widows of Oil Rig Blast Victims Tell o

Widows of BP oil rig blast victims testify before US Congress

"He's the breath in my lungs. He's the beat of my heart" -- Shelley Anderson, widow of oil rig victim

Shelley Anderson's blond hair skims the blue ribbon she wears on her lapel in memory of those killed in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blast.  Her husband, Jason, the father of their two small children, was among those killed in the April 20 explosion. "He's everything. He's the breath in my lungs. He's the beat of my heart. He's the skip in my step and the dances that we shared together. All. It's all gone," she said.

Anderson was one of two widows of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blast who testified before the U.S. Senate's Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Wednesday, as lawmakers discussed industry accountability and compensation for families of those killed on the rig. Lawmakers have held more than 40 hearings on the blast and the oil spill that has lasted for more than 70 days. 

"It is my understanding today that Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon, is seeking to limit its liability for this loss in federal court under a legal loophole that is both unconscionable and outdated," said Committee Chairman Senator John Rockefeller, a Democrat¹ from West Virginia.

Existing U.S. laws limit damages when someone wrongfully dies at sea as opposed to on land. 

Maritime² laws that date back to the 1850s and 1920s allow people to be compensated³ for funeral expenses and the loss of the victim's earnings⁴.  But the laws do not allow compensation for the loss of a loved one's presence and companionship.

Maritime law expert Tom Galligan says laws governing the seas have not caught up to laws on the land, and he urges Congress to make revisions. "Senators, a spouse⁵, child or parent who loses a loved one suffers a very real loss, as we have heard, and the law, to be just, must recognize it," he said.

Natalie Roshto's husband, Shane, also was killed in the Deepwater Horizon explosion. 

At times wiping away tears, Roshto told lawmakers that her husband, who was in his early 20s, worked on the offshore⁶ rig because it paid well enough for her to go to college and to care for their young son, Blaine. She  was not able to get her diploma after her husband's death.

Roshto says drilling rig companies would pay greater attention to worker safety if there were greater financial stakes. "Because they knew.  They knew the law.  They knew that they could just throw these men out other and just, you know, give them a little safety every now and then and if something happened, they didn't think that we'd be sitting here today doing this," she said.

Transocean has said it will honor all of its legal obligations arising from the Deepwater Horizon incident, but the company has also petitioned for all lawsuits⁷ to be heard in one court before a single judge and paid from a single fund. 

Aside from the personal tragedies, there is an environmental one, as an estimated 560 million liters of oil have spilled into the Gulf⁸ of Mexico since the accident.

New Jersey⁹ Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg held aloft a glass jar of oily water from the Gulf. "This is it, as ugly as it is, and you see what happens when this carelessness -- carelessness -- took over," he said.  

In a separate hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator¹⁰ of the BP Deepwater Horizon Compensation Fund, said he hopes that he can provide prompt pay-outs to help small businesses that have been affected¹¹ by the oil spill. 

More than 80,000 individuals and businesses have submitted compensation claims to that $20 billion fund provided by BP.
 

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

3 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

4 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

5 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

6 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

7 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

10 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。