VOA常速英语2015--美国石油出口引发辩论

Effort To Allow US Oil Exports Sparks Debate 美国石油出口引发辩论

Proposed legislation to end a decades-long ban on exporting most U.S.-produced crude oil is sparking sharp debate in Washington and the energy industry.

One oil company chief says the outdated¹ rules hurt his company and keep the U.S. economy vulnerable to foreign oil producers. But ban supporters say ending it would boost consumer energy prices and hurt the environment. One bill to end the ban has been introduced in the House, another is expected in the Senate.

U.S. drivers waited in long, frustrating² lines in 1973 when Arab oil exporters cut supplies to the United States.

1973年当阿拉伯石油输出国切断对美国的供应时，美国司机们沮丧地排起了长队。

Worries about access to oil and soaring prices then prompted a new law blocking the export of U.S.-produced crude oil.

出于对石油获得的担心以及飙升的价格使得美国出台新法阻扰美国产原油的出口。

The ban had little effect when the United States was importing more and more crude to make up for falling U.S. oil production.

当美国进口越来越多的原油来弥补美国石油产出下降的缺口时，该禁令所起所用就甚微了。

But new techniques in recent years, called “fracking," boosted domestic production and cut U.S. demand for imported oil.

但最近几年名为“液压破裂法”的新技术促进了国内的石油产出，切断了美国对进口石油的需求。

That falling demand pushed down global prices and, ironically, hurt U.S. frackers.

需求的减少使得全球油价下跌，令人感到讽刺的人，也损害了美国采用液压破裂法的石油公司。

Oil producers say lifting the export ban, which they call "outdated" would help their companies.

石油生产商称取消所谓过时的出口禁令能令本公司受益。

Chris Faulker, who leads Breitling Oil, said, “Things have changed, we are not in the idea of fear and scarcity³; exuberance⁴ and abundance describes the United States of America today. But this law is continuing to hold us back and drag us into the 1970s."

克里斯·福克纳是Breitling石油公司负责人，“情况已经不同了，我们不再担心，不再缺少石油，美国现在很繁荣富足，但该法仍在阻碍我们，将我们拖回20世纪70年代。”

But ending the ban would hurt consumers, said Tyson Slocum, who runs the energy program at the Public Citizen advocacy group.

负责公民倡导组织能源项目的泰森·斯洛克姆说结束禁令会有损消费者。

“The likely result would be higher gasoline prices in the U.S. market," said Slocum.

“可能会导致美国市场油价上涨。”

Oil industry experts say exports, however, could cut U.S. gasoline prices.

然而，石油行业专家称出口会导致美国油价下跌。

“Because it is putting more supply, other options into the world markets. Gasoline is marketed across the planet not just in the United States so we could see a price reduction occur," said Faulker.

“因为这会导致更多的供应，国际市场上有更多选择，汽油是在全世界范围内销售，而不只是在美国，所以美国能看到价格下跌。”

The industry’s critics also say exporting crude would encourage more drilling which would hurt the environment.

该行业的批评者还说，出口原油将鼓励更多破坏环境的开采。

“Allowing uninhibited [U.S.] oil exports is going to vastly increase the rate of fracking and that is going to cause a lot more environmental harm," said Slocum.

“允许不加遏制的美国石油出口将极大增加液压破裂法的比率，这会导致更多的环境破坏。”

However, the oil industry calls environmental concerns exaggerated, and contends that properly-conducted drilling, including fracking, does not cause undue⁵ harm.

然而，石油行业称环保人士过虑了，声称适当指导下的开采，包括液压破裂法，不会造成不必要的破坏。

1 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

2 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

4 exuberance   

n.丰富；繁荣

参考例句：

• Her burst of exuberance and her brightness overwhelmed me.她勃发的热情和阳光的性格征服了我。
• The sheer exuberance of the sculpture was exhilarating.那尊雕塑表现出的勃勃生机让人振奋。

5 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。