VOA常速英语2014--环境奖得主反对水力压裂技术

 

 Environmental Prize Winner Opposes Fracking 环境奖得主反对水力压裂技术

WASHINGTON — This year’s North American Goldman Environmental Prize winner used legal means to ban hydraulic¹ fracturing in parts of central New York state.  Fracking, as it is known, is a controversial method to extract natural gas and other fossil fuels.  Anti-fracking activists² say the technique hurts the environment, while the petroleum³ industry maintains fracking is safe. 

Goldman award winner Helen Stottje is a lawyer in a mostly rural area of New York with small towns. She's against fracking, which involves deep drilling through shale⁴ rock and pumping down a pressurized mix of water and chemicals to release natural gas.

戈尔曼环境奖得主海伦·斯托杰是一位为纽约大部分偏远地区小城镇伸张正义的律师。她对于深孔钻探通过页岩用高压将水及化学物质打到地下以获取天然气的水力压裂技术表示反对。

Stottje volunteered to build a case against an industrial complex being constructed by a fracking company. While the company won the case, Stottje learned that local laws could stop fracking-and she used that as a weapon to help ban fracking in several towns. Today, more towns in New York state have passed local laws prohibiting fracking.

而斯托杰自愿立案调查一家水力压裂技术公司的工业园区。无奈这家公司赢了官司,但斯托杰获悉当地法律能阻止水力压裂,因此她用法律作为武器帮助几个城镇禁止使用水力压裂。现如今纽约州有越来越多的城镇通过了当地禁止水力压裂的法案。

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Stottje's crusade began after attending a local meeting, where she saw photos of destruction caused by fracking in nearby Pennsylvania.

斯托杰是在参加当地的一场会议看到在附近宾夕法尼亚水力压裂造成破坏的照片后才决定发起这次改革运动。

“The chemical pits, with the drill cuttings and the flowback water, cleared tree areas, swaths of forests that were just clear-cut for pipelines⁵, for well pads.”

“化学坑,钻井切口，还有回流水,大片的森林,满是树木的地区仅仅是因为管道和井垫而不复存在。”

But Steve Everley, a spokesman for the education arm of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, says, although there are risks, they are manageable.

但美国独立石油协会教育部门的一位发言人史蒂夫·艾夫利称尽管存在风险,但水力压裂也在可控范围内。

“Everything is safely managed through the multiple layers of steel casing and cement that goes into creating a well. You've got anywhere between five and seven layers that protect what's inside the pipe from what's outside of it. I chiefly mean groundwater supplies.”

“通过多层钢套管和水泥钻井的一切都是经过安全管理。这5到7层不仅保护管道里面的东西还有外面的。我指的主要是地下水供应。”

But Stottje thinks fracking is harmful and says about 1/3 of the wells fail.

但斯托杰仍然认为水力压裂有害,她表示约1/3的井有失败的可能性。

“These are our water supplies we're talking about drilling through in large number. And in addition, there are methane⁶ emissions⁷, and emitting all of this methane, such a powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, is very disruptive.”

“我们的问题是大量钻井破坏我们的水供应。此外还有甲烷的排放,这种强大的温室气体到大气中是非常具有破坏性的。”

But Everley points out that studies have shown that fracking actually helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions. He says fracking should also continue because it provides jobs and energy security. Stottje, however, says fracking should be stopped permanently⁸.

但艾夫利指出,研究表明,水力压裂实际上有助于减少二氧化碳的排放。他表示压裂也应该继续,因为它提供了工作计划及能源安全。然而斯托杰称水力压裂技术应该被永久停止。

1 hydraulic   

adj.水力的；水压的，液压的；水力学的

参考例句：

• The boat has no fewer than five hydraulic pumps.这艘船配有不少于5个液压泵。
• A group of apprentics were operating the hydraulic press.一群学徒正在开动水压机。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

4 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

5 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

6 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

8 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。