美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden pledges more aid to New Mexico to help fight the state's massive wildfire

Biden pledges more aid to New Mexico to help fight the state's massive wildfire

Transcript¹

President Biden is back in Washington after visiting New Mexico for a briefing on wildfires which have now burned more than 900 square miles.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

After a trip to Los Angeles for the Summit of the Americas, President Biden made a stop in New Mexico. The visit gave him a chance to see some of the devastation² from the largest ever wildfire in that state and talk to firefighters, FEMA workers and people who live nearby. Reporter Alice Fordham is with member station KUNM, and she joins us this morning from Santa Fe. Good morning, Alice.

ALICE FORDHAM, BYLINE³: Good morning.

MARTIN: Put these fires into perspective for us, if you could. How does this compare to other fire seasons in New Mexico?

FORDHAM: Sure. Well, wildland fires are part of life here, but the state has never in recorded history seen anything like this fire season. There are several all over the state. I sometimes wake up and there's smoke in my house. The president was briefed Saturday that more than 1% of the state has seen fire damage this year. And that largest one that the president saw out of the window of Air Force One is 500-square miles. It's still only about 70% contained.

MARTIN: Wow. So just give us a sense of the damage that it's done.

FORDHAM: So the landscape has changed for generations to come. It's burned swaths of national forest, and they're used not just for recreation and conservation but for livelihoods⁵. So I've been spending time in small towns in northern New Mexico where people have been loggers. They have grazed cattle on high ground for many, many generations. And their livelihood⁴, their way of life, has been changed forever by this fire. And this is partly because of forests that are dry because of drought and hot, arid⁶ weather due to climate change. But there's also a huge amount of anger here toward the Forest Service because this fire started as two planned burns which got out of control.

MARTIN: So what did President Biden, on this visit, what did he see? What did he learn specifically?

FORDHAM: Well, he met firefighters and first responders. He praised them. He was told that more than a thousand homes have burned. And he was told about the risk of flooding when rain comes to these charred⁷, burned mountainsides. But a big part of the question New Mexicans have for the federal government is whether it's going to pay for all the costs of the fire because it started as planned burns by a federal agency. And Biden did announce some boosts in funding.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Today, I'm announcing the federal government is covering 100% of the cost...

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: ...Of debris⁸ removal and emergency protective measures for the next critical months of - in this recovery.

FORDHAM: And in addition to that promise to pay for debris removal, emergency protection for a while, he also promised $22 million for flood mitigation. But for the federal government to pay for everything, it's a matter for Congress to decide. Biden says he supports it, but whether it passes remains⁹ to be seen.

MARTIN: OK. So a federal agency is responsible for these planned burns that started the fire. And Biden wants to help pay for that. But, I mean, what about the policy itself? Did the president mention a change in Forest Service policy about these planned burns?

FORDHAM: Yeah. And this is really important to people here. Planned burns were suspended nationwide last month for a 90-day review. Biden said he would brief the country on the results of that review where - but he did point out that something like 99.8% of thousands of planned burns every year do go as planned. But there's no doubt there's a very difficult dilemma¹⁰ here. Planned burns are meant to clear up vegetation, make big fires less likely. I've spoken to Forest Service people, ecologists who say that with drier conditions that we see every day, planned burns are essential to manage forests. But some do say that with changed weather, it can be harder to predict what a planned burn might do.

I will say that people here in New Mexico often say the Forest Service restricted where they could do logging and grazing. If they'd been allowed to work with the forest, as they have for hundreds of years, it wouldn't be so dense¹¹. The fire wouldn't be so intense. So I think in the wake of this devastation, we're likely to see some reconsideration of policy.

MARTIN: Alice Fordham of member station KUNM, thank you.

FORDHAM: Thanks very much.

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 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

5 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

6 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

7 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

11 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。