美国国家公共电台 NPR--A breakthrough water sharing deal is announced by Colorado River states

A breakthrough water sharing deal is announced by Colorado River states

Transcript¹

The White House and seven Western states have agreed to a framework for sharing the Colorado River's water. The deal directly impacts 40 million people who rely on the river for water and power.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

California, Arizona and Nevada are proposing new cutbacks to their use of the drought-stricken Colorado River to keep it from running dry.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The river is vital for tens of millions of people across the Southwest, and some of America's most productive farms rely on it, too. Drought and population growth and climate change have all contributed to the water crisis. Now, in a proposal released on Monday, states that use the Colorado for essentials like drinking water and generating electricity at dams, agreed to reduce their take of the river in exchange for more than $1 billion in federal payments.

MARTIN: Reporter Luke Runyon from member station KUNC in Colorado is with us now to explain the latest. Luke, thanks so much for being here.

LUKE RUNYON, BYLINE³: Thanks for having me.

MARTIN: I understand that this new deal is a temporary fix. It's only through 2026. But I still want to know what's in it, and who takes these water cuts?

RUNYON: The bulk of the cutbacks would come from Arizona and California. And those states' leaders have said that they're ready to start relying on the river less but want federal funds to ease some of the economic burden that comes with using less water. They're prepared to conserve⁴ 3 million acre-feet over the next 3 1/2 years. And just to put that in perspective, one acre-foot generally supplies about two households in the Southwest for a year. Farmers will use less. Tribes have said they'll conserve as well, even the greater Los Angeles area. And some of the cutbacks will be incentivized. States will split $1.2 billion in federal funds, but it's unclear now exactly how that money will be split up.

MARTIN: So these new cuts come after federal officials last year threatened to intervene and force deeper water cutbacks if the states could not come to an agreement. What's been the reaction from officials in those states?

RUNYON: Right. Last summer, the situation on the Colorado River was much more dire². Its biggest reservoirs were threatening to dip low enough that they would lose the ability to generate hydroelectric power. Then came this very wet winter that we just went through here in the Rocky Mountains, and that eased up the pressure that everyone was feeling. What the states are agreeing to now is significantly less than what federal officials said was needed last year. What state leaders are saying right now is that these are the cuts that they can live with for the next few years while we negotiate a much more robust⁵ agreement to go into place after 2026. Here's Brenda Burman. She runs the Central Arizona Project. That's a canal system that delivers water to the Phoenix⁶ and Tucson areas.

BRENDA BURMAN: I would say this is a short-term deal, right? This is a short-term deal to build stability and to prepare us for 2026. We know we are going to have to learn to live with a smaller river.

RUNYON: Because these reductions aren't the top-down mandatory⁷ cuts that people were really worried about, they're a bit more palatable⁸ to farmers and city leaders. And because they come with a lot of federal money attached, that makes the news go down a little bit easier, too. What I'm hearing from people is that this is one more step in the right direction but that the region still has a long way to go before it balances its water demands to match the shrinking river.

MARTIN: So, Luke, is this the kind of thing that tells us what is coming? Like, is it indicative of the kinds of future arguments among the states that we can expect as natural resources become scarce in this era of climate change?

RUNYON: I do think its story fits into a broader discussion about what it's going to take to adapt to climate change. It's likely going to be very expensive and potentially very painful to learn to live with less water in the Southwest, same as it will be to learn to live with rising seas, more destructive natural disasters. But this gives us a glimpse at what the coming challenges are going to look like in real time.

MARTIN: That's Luke Runyon of member station KUNC. He's the host of the podcast Thirst Gap about the Colorado River Basin. Luke, thanks so much for sharing this reporting with us.

RUNYON: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 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。

4 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

5 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

6 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

7 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

8 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。