奥巴马演讲:美国的最高能源计划

Hello, everybody. In the State of the Union, I laid out three areas we need to focus on if we’re going to build an economy that lasts: new American manufacturing, new skills and education for American workers, and new sources of American-made energy.

These days, we’re getting another painful reminder¹ why developing new energy is so important to our future.  Just like they did last year, gas prices are starting to climb.  Only this time, it’s happening earlier.  And that hurts everyone – everyone who owns a car; everyone who owns a business.  It means you have to stretch your paycheck even further.  Some folks have no choice but to drive a long way to work, and high gas prices are like a tax straight out of their paychecks. Now, some politicians always see this as a political opportunity.

And since it’s an election year, they’re already dusting off their three-point plans for $2 gas.  I’ll save you the suspense:  Step one is drill, step two is drill, and step three is keep drilling.  We hear the same thing every year. Well the American people aren’t stupid.  You know that’s not a plan – especially since we’re already drilling.  It’s a bumper² sticker.  It’s not a strategy to solve our energy challenge.  It’s a strategy to get politicians through an election. You know there are no quick fixes to this problem, and you know we can’t just drill our way to lower gas prices.

If we’re going to take control of our energy future and avoid these gas price spikes³ down the line, then we need a sustained, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, biofuels, and more.  We need to keep developing the technology that allows us to use less oil in our cars and trucks; in our buildings and plants.  That’s the strategy we’re pursuing, and that’s the only real solution to this challenge. Now, we absolutely need safe, responsible oil production here in America.

That’s why under my Administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years.  In 2010, our dependence⁴ on foreign oil was under 50% for the first time in more than a decade.  And while there are no short-term silver bullets when it comes to gas prices, I’ve directed my administration to look for every single area where we can make an impact and help consumers in the months ahead, from permitting to delivery bottlenecks⁵ to what’s going on in the oil markets. But over the long term, an all-of-the-above energy strategy means we have to do more.  It means we have to make some choices. Here’s one example.  Right now, four billion of your tax dollars subsidize the oil industry every year.

Four billion dollars. Imagine that.  Maybe some of you are listening to this in your car right now, pulling into a gas station to fill up.  As you watch those numbers rise, know that oil company profits have never been higher.  Yet somehow, Congress is still giving those same companies another four billion dollars of your money.  That’s outrageous⁶.  It’s inexcusable.  And it has to stop. A century of subsidies⁷ to the oil companies is long enough.  It’s time to end taxpayer⁸ giveaways to an industry that’s never been more profitable, and use that money to reduce our deficit⁹ and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising¹⁰.  Because of the investments we’ve already made, the use of wind and solar energy in this country has nearly doubled – and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.

And because we put in place the toughest fuel economy standards in history, our cars will average nearly 55 miles per gallon by the middle of the next decade – something that, over time, will save the typical family more than $8,000 at the pump.  Now Congress needs to keep that momentum¹¹ going by renewing the clean energy tax credits that will lead to more jobs and less dependence on foreign oil. Look, we know there’s no silver bullet that will bring down gas prices or reduce our dependence on foreign oil overnight.  But what we can do is get our priorities straight, and make a sustained, serious effort to tackle this problem.  That’s the commitment we need right now.  And with your help, it’s a commitment we can make.  Thanks.

大家好！

在我的国情咨文中，为建立一个可持续发展的经济体，我提出了需要我们重点关注的三个领域：新的美国制造业、对美国劳动者的新的技能培训和教育、美国制造的新能源。

这些天来，为什么制定新的能源战略对我们的未来如此重要，在这个问题上我们受到一些人的质疑。就像他们在去年做的那样，油价又开始上涨。只不过这次开始的更早了。这让每个人都受到伤害，每个有车的人或者是做买卖的人。这意味着你要在你的薪水上做更长远的打算。一些人要开车走很远的路去上班，他们别无选择，高油价就像从他们的薪水中直接抽税一样。

现在，一些政客总是把这一问题看成是一个政治机遇。由于大选年到来，他们总是重新祭出2美元的油价的3点计划。我就帮你们介绍一下吧：第一步，钻探；第二部，钻探；第三步依然是持续钻探。这样的方案我们每年都能听到。

美国人民又不是笨蛋。大家都知道这不是什么计划，尤其是在我们已经在不断钻探的情况下。这只不过是个花架子。并不是可以解决我们的能源挑战的战略方案。而只是为了在大选年达到政治目的策略。

大家都知道，解决这一问题没有捷径，而且我们也不能一味追求降低油价。如果我们想要控制我们的能源未来并避免油价波动对我们的影响，我们就需要一项开发利用美国一切可以利用的能源的可持续的，最高的能源战略，包括利用石油、天然气、风能、太阳能、核能以及生物燃料等等。我们需要持续开发各种技术让我们的汽车、建筑以及农业上使用的石油更少。这才是我们追求的战略，也是解决我们面临的挑战的唯一现实方案。

现在，我们确实需要安全的、有保障的国内石油产量。这也是在我领导的政府努力下，美国石油产量比8年前的任何时候都高的原因。2010年，我们对海外石油的依赖度10年来首次降低到50%以下。但由于对油价问题没有短期的有效解决方法，我也已经指令当局寻找每一个我们可以施加影响的领域，在未来几个月里帮助消费者，包括从消除运输瓶颈到关注石油市场变化等方面。

但长远来看，一项最高的能源战略需要我们做的更多。也意味着我们需要做出选择。

例如，现在，每年你们纳税中的40亿美元作为补助提供给了石油公司。整整40亿美元。

想象一下。也许你们当中有人正在车上收听我的讲话。当你到加油站加油的时候，看着数字不断跳变，你可知道石油公司的利润从来没有比现在更高过。然而，国会却一直每年为这些公司提供40亿美元的补贴。这太过分了。不可容忍。必须得到制止。

对石油公司一个世纪的补贴已经够长了。是时候终结用纳税人的钱为一个利润高的没法更丰厚的行业提供补贴了，用这些钱来降低下我们的赤字，加倍在更有希望的清洁能源产业投入。由于我们已经做出的投资，风能和太阳能在我国的使用已经翻番了——而且成千上万的美国人也因此得到了工作。同时由于我们制定了最为严厉的商业燃料标准，我们的汽车的每加仑汽油平均行驶里程将在未来十年达到55英里，这样经过一段时间，一个普通家庭将在油费上节约8000美元。现在，国会要将继续向清洁能源产业提供的税收优惠政策继续保持下去，这将为我们提供更多就业岗位并降低我们对海外石油的依赖度。

当然，我们都知道对于降低油价或降低我们对海外石油的依赖度并没有一个在一夜间解决问题的快捷方案。但我们可以让最重要的事情得到解决，持续认真努力的去解决这一问题。这是我们当下需要的承诺。在大家的帮助下，我们一定能够兑现这一承诺。谢谢大家。

1 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

2 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

3 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》

4 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。

5 bottlenecks   

n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍

参考例句：

• Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

7 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》

8 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。

9 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。

10 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

11 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。