英语听力精选进阶版 Colorado's Oil And Gas Regulators Must Now Consider Public Health And Safety

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Colorado is changing the way it regulates oil and gas drilling, a big industry there that has led to a lot of tension. The governor is expected to sign legislation to make health and safety more of a priority for that industry. So what's that mean for the state's oil boom? Here's Grace Hood¹ of Colorado Public Radio and NPR's Energy and Environment team.

GRACE HOOD, BYLINE²: Weld County is where 90 percent of Colorado's oil is pumped. And last year, that hit an all-time high. The region is home to oil companies, companies that truck water and supplies to well pads and companies that feed hungry workers, places like Daddy's Goodness BBQ.

MATT SMITH: We just had our largest order from an oil and gas worker.

HOOD: Matt Smith switched careers to start this food truck two years ago.

SMITH: If oil and gas leaves, we're gone.

HOOD: Smith worries that new mandates³ from a Democratic majority legislature will force companies to leave the state. Some in the county are already campaigning for a ballot⁴ measure to repeal⁵ the law. The changes are sweeping⁶ - the state must make health and safety a priority. It must appoint new regulators with environmental and public health expertise⁷. Local governments will have more control over where oil wells go. And there are more rules to craft on things like capturing potent⁸ methane⁹ leaks from oil and gas infrastructure¹⁰. So the new law marks a starting point, not the finish line.

BRENDA DONES: The rules that are going to be written, that's where the concern is.

HOOD: Brenda Dones is Weld County assessor. She says Weld brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue from oil production each year. That money supports schools, roads and bridges. But now she worries that a backlog¹¹ in approving drilling permits will only grow.

DONES: How long's it going to take to make sure that we can start approving permits again so that we can continue to get the revenue that we're expecting?

HOOD: Travel down the road to Erie in south Weld County, and you find a different set of concerns.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Oh, good.

HOOD: From this playground, you can see an oil well pad in the distance. Across the street, Robin¹² Goldsmith loads her aging terrier into her SUV. She's seen multiple drilling projects come through over the last decade, including that pad just 1,000 feet from her home.

ROBIN GOLDSMITH: The first time when they were close to us and drilling, you could actually feel the vibration¹³ in our house.

HOOD: Residents in this neighborhood near Denver worry about their health and safety when oil wells are drilled so close. Two years ago, not far away, two people died after an underground line from a well leaked gas and a home exploded. Goldsmith does not think the new law will prompt an economic slowdown.

GOLDSMITH: That's the oil and gas companies making sure that their investments are protected as opposed to the good of the people.

HOOD: Erie town trustee Christiaan van Woudenberg likes the new law. He says cities need to use it to create more distance between wells and homes. But when it comes to public safety, the new law lets communities do only what's, quote, "necessary and reasonable."

CHRISTIAAN VAN WOUDENBERG: So lawyers will decide what that means. And the problem is that these oil and gas companies have access to resources magnitudes of orders beyond a town council like Erie.

HOOD: Other environmental groups worry that some towns won't even try. Ultimately, it could be up to the courts to say how far communities can go to limit oil development. For NPR News, I'm Grace Hood in Erie, Colo.

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1 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

2 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。

3 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

4 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

5 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

6 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

7 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

8 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

9 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。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

12 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

13 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。