VOA标准英语2010年-US Gulf States, Energy Companies Appla

The Obama administration has lifted the moratorium¹ on deepwater drilling for oil and natural gas in the Gulf² of Mexico it imposed after an accident in the Gulf in April that killed 11 workers and led to the biggest oil spill in history. Reaction from the energy sector³ and Gulf state political leaders is positive, but cautious.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, who sued the federal government over the drilling ban, heard about the lifting of the moratorium while on a visit to Houston. The Republican governor was cautious in his response to the news.

"The devil is always in the details, so let's take a look at what the actual lifting of the moratorium says and we are going to continue to go forward with our efforts if we see any restrictions⁴ to our ability to create jobs and search for oil in the deepwater," he said.

Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, whose state has suffered the most from the BP oil spill and job losses from the moratorium, said the White House decision to lift the ban was good news and "long overdue⁵."

Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents a Houston district, said the announcement from the White House was great news for the Gulf region.

"The [Obama] administration is going to lift the moratorium, and I think it is clear that Democrats⁶ and Republicans understand the vitality⁷ of the energy industry here," she said. "It should be very well noted⁸ that the administration early on told many of us that they wanted to do a thorough review, but they were open to ending this moratorium before November 30th. The administration is not against Texas; it is not against deepwater drilling. In fact, the president of the United States, before this horrific accident that saw the loss of life at BP, indicated his commitment to offshore⁹ drilling."

Jackson Lee said a bipartisan effort by senators and representatives from Gulf states like Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi influenced President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken¹⁰ Salazar to lift the ban as soon as possible.

Federal officials estimate that the ban on deepwater drilling cost between 8,000 and 12,000 jobs. Officials in Louisiana, however, say many small companies felt the brunt of the moratorium more the big oil firms that had the financial resources to remain idle.

One energy expert in Houston with a strong opinion in the subject is former Shell Oil President John Hofmeister, who now runs the private organization Citizens for Affordable¹¹ Energy.

"This moratorium was a bad idea to start with; it was not necessary," he said. "The industry has operated safely, with the exception of this horrible accident [i.e., the BP spill]. But we have horrible plane accidents where we do not stop all planes from flying. There was no basis on which to stop the 33 drilling rigs from operating. They all passed inspections¹². This was a political act for which there will be political consequences, I am sorry to say."

Hofmeister says the damage from the moratorium and other actions by the Obama administration that have slowed domestic oil production will cause a doubling in the price of fuel in the United States by 2012. He says restrictions on domestic oil producers will likely mean an increase in oil imports to meet rising U.S. energy demands.

Obama administration officials say drilling in the Gulf of Mexico probably will not begin any time soon because companies will need to meet new safety requirements.

Officials say it might take weeks to approve permits for drilling. But Interior Secretary Salazar says companies willing to play by the rules can operate in the Gulf, which accounts for more than 30 percent of U.S. oil production.

1 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

2 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。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 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。

10 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》