美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Signs Executive Order On Offshore Drilling And Marine Sanctuaries

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

President Trump¹ will sign an executive order tomorrow that aims to expand offshore² drilling. The order will essentially³ try to undo⁴ actions taken by his predecessor⁵, Barack Obama, that restricted drilling in the Arctic Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It also asks for a review of marine⁶ monuments that Obama designated.

NPR's Nathan Rott is following the story and joins us now from NPR West in Culver City. Hi, Nate.

NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE⁷: Hey, Ari.

SHAPIRO: Let's start with offshore drilling. What does this executive order mean for the energy industry?

ROTT: Well, that's a complicated answer. I mean on its face, this is something that energy companies are going to be excited about. It's something that they've lobbied for. They felt that the Obama administration was too restrictive when it came to the Outer Continental⁸ Shelf, and that's something the Trump administration certainly agrees with. Here's Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke at a press briefing earlier at the White House.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

RYAN ZINKE: When I came into the office, we looked at what was available for oil and gas and what wasn't. And today, about 94 percent of our Outer Continental Shelf is off-limits for possible development.

ROTT: So this executive order is going to aim to change that. It directs Zinke to review the current policy for offshore oil and gas in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic which was put in place by President Obama. But that's going to take a long time. Zinke himself said that it was a complicated process. It could take two years. And let's also not forget that the price of oil is relatively⁹ low right now. So even if they are able to roll back some of these restrictions¹⁰ quickly, it's not clear if we're going to see a lot more drilling.

Another thing that's also unclear is whether the administration can undo a separate ban on offshore drilling in parts of the Arctic and Atlantic that Obama put in place during the last weeks of his presidency¹¹. He used this really obscure 1953 law to do that, and the administration then called it a permanent ban. Secretary Zinke didn't really answer questions about whether or not they can reverse that. He just said that everything was up for review.

SHAPIRO: And what about the marine monuments? That sounds like the aquatic¹² version of what the Trump administration did with national monuments on land earlier this week.

ROTT: Exactly. It's very similar. Secretary Zinke even threw out the comparison in the briefing. You might remember that Obama made headlines last year when he hugely expanded a national marine monument in Hawaii, quadrupling the size of it, and named another on in the Atlantic. It would seem that those are the ones that will get the administration's attention first, but Zinke said that all marine monuments made in the last 10 years will be subject to review.

SHAPIRO: NPR's Nathan Rott - thanks, Nate.

ROTT: Thanks, Ari.

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 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。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

5 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 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。

8 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 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

11 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

12 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。