奥巴马每周电视讲话:扩大美国国内石油产量

　　Weekly  Address: President Obama Announces New Plans to Increase Responsible Domestic  Oil Production
每周电视讲话:奥巴马总统宣布负责任地增加美国国内石油产量的新计划
WASHINGTON  – In this week’s address, President Obama laid out his strategy to continue  to expand responsible and safe domestic oil production, leveraging¹ existing  authorities as part of his long-term plan to reduce our reliance on foreign  oil. He is directing the Department of the Interior to conduct annual lease  sales in Alaska’s National Petroleum² Reserve  – while respecting sensitive areas, to speed up the evaluation³ of oil and gas  resources in the mid⁴ and south Atlantic, and to create new incentives⁵ for industry  to develop their unused leases both on and offshore⁶. Also, to give companies  more time to meet higher safety standard for exploration and drilling, the  administration is extending drilling leases in areas of the Gulf⁷ of Mexico  that were impacted by the temporary moratorium⁸, as well as certain leases off  the coast of Alaska.  And, he is  establishing a new interagency working group to ensure that Arctic  development projects meet health, safety and environmental standards. The  past few months, rising gas prices have put an added strain on American  families. While there are no quick fixes to the problem, these are steps,  along with eliminating taxpayer⁹ subsidies¹⁰ for oil companies and rooting out  fraud and manipulation in the markets, that are worth taking.
华盛顿:在本周的讲话中,奥巴马总统宣布了继续安全负责任地扩大国内石油产量的总体计划，提升现有机构权力作为他降低对国外石油依赖这一长远计划的一部分。考虑到涉及一些敏感地区，他还指示内政部负责阿拉斯加国家石油储备局的年度租赁销售，加速大西洋中部和南部地区的石油气资源评估，同时也刺激石油开采产业开发陆上和近海的未使用租赁区域。当然，为了给各公司一些时间在勘测和钻探中满足更高的安全标准，当局也延长了墨西哥海湾受临时禁令影响地区的钻探租赁期，当然也包括阿拉斯加近海区域部分地区的租赁期。同时他还成立了一个跨机构的工作组来确保北极发展计划满足健康、安全和环保的要求。在过去的几个月，上涨的油价给美国家庭增加了不小的负担。尽管没有解决这一问题的灵丹妙药，但依然可以采取一些措施，例如在减少用纳税人的钱为石油公司提供补贴的同时，根除石油市场的欺诈和暗箱操纵都是值得采取的措施。
Recently,  there have been signs that the economy is picking up steam.  Last month, we saw the strongest job growth  in five years, and have added more than three-quarters of a million private  sector¹¹ jobs in just three months.  But  there are still too many Americans who are either looking for work, or  struggling to pay the bills and make the mortgage.  Paychecks aren’t getting any bigger, but  the cost of everything from groceries to college tuition keeps on rising.
最近，有迹象显示我们的经济蒸蒸日上。上个月，我们看到了5年来最强劲的就业增长，在短短3个月时间里，我们的私营部门就增加了75万个工作岗位。但依然有不少美国人还在找工作，或是为了日常开销和还贷而不堪重负。因为工资没有上涨，而各项开销，从日用品到大学学费都在不断上涨。
Without  a doubt, one of the biggest burdens over the last few months has been the  price of gasoline.  In many places, gas  is now more than $4 a gallon, meaning that you could be paying more than $60  to fill up your tank.
毫无疑问，过去几个月来人民面临最大的负担就是油价。在很多地方，汽油已经超过4美元每加仑，这意味着大家加满一箱油要多花60美元。
These  spikes¹² in gas prices are often temporary, and while there are no quick fixes  to the problem, there are a few steps we should take that make good sense.
油价迟早会下降，虽然没有快速解决这一问题的方法，但依然有一些值得采取的措施。
First,  we should make sure that no one is taking advantage of consumers at the  pump.  That’s why we’ve launched a task  force led by the Attorney General that has one job: rooting out cases of  fraud or manipulation in the markets that might affect gas prices, including  any illegal activity by traders and speculators.
首先，我们要确保任何人都不可以在油价上占消费者的便宜。这也是我们成立了以司法部长为首的特别工作组的原因，他们的唯一目标就是根除石油市场的欺诈和暗箱操纵，包括交易员和投机商的任何违法行为，以消除对油价的影响。
Second,  we should increase safe and responsible oil production here at home.  Last year, America’s oil production reached  its highest level since 2003.  But I  believe that we should expand oil production in America – even as we increase  safety and environmental standards.
其次，我们应该安全负责任地增加国内石油产量。去年，美国的石油产量就达到了自2003年来的最高值。即便我们提高了安全和环保的标准，我认为我们依然需要扩大国内的石油产量。
To  do this, I am directing the Department of Interior to conduct annual lease  sales in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, while respecting sensitive  areas, and to speed up the evaluation of oil and gas resources in the mid and  south Atlantic.  We plan to lease new  areas in the Gulf of Mexico as well, and work to create new incentives for industry  to develop their unused leases both on and offshore.
为此，考虑到会涉及一些敏感区域，我指示内政部负责阿拉斯加国家石油储备局的年度租赁和销售，加快对大西洋中部和南部地区的石油气资源的评估。我们计划在墨西哥海湾开放一些新的区域的租赁权，并对这一产业制定一些新的刺激政策促进对未使用的陆上和近海租赁区域的开发。
We’re  also taking steps to give companies time to meet higher safety standards when  it comes to exploration and drilling.   That’s why my Administration is extending drilling leases in areas of the  Gulf that were impacted by the temporary moratorium, as well as certain areas  off the coast of Alaska.  And to  streamline¹³ that permitting process, I am establishing a new team to  coordinate¹⁴ work on Alaska drilling permits.
我们也采取措施给各公司一些时间在勘测和钻探中满足更高的安全标准。这也是当局延长墨西哥海湾受临时禁令影响区域的钻探租期，以及阿拉斯加近海部分区域的租期的原因。为了让许可程序更流畅的实施，我成立了一个新的工作组来协调阿拉斯加的钻探许可工作。
Finally,  the third step we should take is to eliminate the taxpayer subsidies we give  to oil and gas companies.  In the last  few months, the biggest oil companies made about $4 billion in profits each  week.  And yet, they get $4 billion in  taxpayer subsidies each year.  Four  billion dollars at a time when Americans can barely fill up their tanks.  Four billion dollars at a time when we’re  trying to reduce our deficit¹⁵.
最后，我们要采取的第三项措施就是减少用纳税人的钱为石油气公司提供补贴。在过去几个月，最大的石油公司每周赚取40亿美元的利润。而同时他们每年却还能获得纳税人40亿美元的补贴。全美人民加满油箱，一次也就40亿美元。我们想尽办法削减赤字，一次也就40亿美元。
This  isn’t fair, it makes no sense.  Before  I was President, the CEOs of these companies even admitted that the tax subsidies  made no sense.  Well, next week, there  is a vote in Congress to end these oil company giveaways once and for  all.  And I hope Democrats¹⁶ and  Republicans come together and get this done.
这不公平也不合理。在我担任总统前，这些公司的CEO们就公开承认说这些税金补贴无关痛痒。好吧，下周，国会将进行一次投票表决彻底结束对石油公司的馈赠。我希望民主党和共和党人一起把这件事做好。
The  American people shouldn’t be subsidizing oil companies at a time when they’re  making near-record profits.  As a  nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that  are the ultimate solution to high-gas prices.   That’s why we’re investing in clean energy technology, helping  businesses that manufacture solar panels and wind turbines, and making sure  that our cars and trucks can go further on a tank of gas – a step that could  save families as much as $3,000 at the pump.
这些石油公司赚取了几乎是创纪录的利润，美国人民不应该继续补贴他们。作为一个国家，我们应该投资清洁、可再生能源，这才是解决高油价的最终方案。这是为什么我们要投资清洁能源技术，帮助生产太阳能电池板和风力发电机的公司，确保我们的汽车和卡车用更少的油跑更远的路，这将为每个家庭在油费上节约3000美元。
These  are investments worth making – investments that will save us money, reduce  our dependence¹⁷ on foreign oil, and protect the health and safety of our  planet.  That’s an energy policy for  the future, and it’s what I’ll be fighting for in the weeks and months to  come.
这些都是值得的投资，这些投资将节约我们的金钱，降低我们对海外石油的依赖，保护我们星球的健康和安全。这是关乎未来的能源政策，在未来的日子里我将继续为此而奋斗。
Thanks.
谢谢！

1 leveraging   

促使…改变( leverage的现在分词 )； [美国英语]杠杆式投机，（使）举债经营，（使）利用贷款进行投机

参考例句：

• De-leveraging is a painful process: it has barely begun. 去杠杆化是个痛苦的过程：它才刚刚开始。
• Archimedes said, saying: Give me a fulcrum, I can leveraging the Earth. 阿基米德说过一句话：给我一个支点，我可以撬动地球。

2 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。

3 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

4 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

5 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 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。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

9 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

10 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

14 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

15 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

16 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。