美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Orders Largest National Monument Reduction In U.S. History

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

President Trump¹ will be in Utah today where he's expected to announce moves to dramatically shrink the size of the Bear Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. These areas are dense² with ancient artifacts, much of it also sacred to Native Americans. Here's NPR's Kirk Siegler.

(SOUNDBITE OF DRUMS)

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE³: Tribes from across the Southwest began convening⁴ in Salt Lake City this past weekend to protest the president's visit today at the state capital.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST)

ETHEL BRANCH: Bears Ears will remain.

SIEGLER: Just before leaving office, President Obama created the 1.3-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument. And today, also by executive order, President Trump could shrink it by more than three quarters. Ethel Branch, attorney general of the Navajo Nation, predicted the president won't even set foot on or see the land in question. Both of the monuments are, at minimum, a five-hour drive from Salt Lake.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST)

BRANCH: I want him to visit Bears Ears before he takes any action.

SIEGLER: Depending on what side you're on, this is the latest example of the U.S. government breaking promises with Native Americans. Or it's one about an overreaching federal government, which protected large amounts of federal land without much support from locals.

MATT ANDERSON: The vast majority of those tribes who are advocating for the national monument live far from a national monument. The further you got away from the monument, the louder the voices of tribal⁵ members.

SIEGLER: Matt Anderson with the conservative Sutherland Institute in Utah says large national monuments that the Trump administration has been reviewing hurt rural counties. These areas already have large amounts of federal public land where he says cattle grazing, mining and other types of private enterprise is heavily regulated.

ANDERSON: President Trump's decision to reduce these monuments allows us to still protect those areas that need protection while at the same time keeping the area open and accessible to locals who depend on this land for their daily lives.

SIEGLER: Rural Utah is still fuming⁶ from President Clinton's designation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which, at the time, nixed a proposed coal mine. Still, the law is gray when it comes to whether a president can actually shrink or abolish a large monument. Legal experts say that's historically been the role of Congress. Sixteen presidents have used it to create public lands monuments. Matthew Koehler is with the WildWest Institute.

MATTHEW KOEHLER: There's a lot that might not survive the next couple of years. But our public lands legacy⁷ is certainly kind of teetering on the brink⁸ here.

SIEGLER: Several environmental groups and tribes have already announced they'll sue. Kirk Siegler, NPR News, Salt Lake City.

(SOUNDBITE OF DIRTWIRE'S "ROMARE")

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 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。

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 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 fuming   

愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟

参考例句：

• She sat in the car, silently fuming at the traffic jam. 她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• I was fuming at their inefficiency. 我正因为他们效率低而发火。

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。