PBS高端访谈:离职潮对美国环保署的未来会有何影响?

HARI SREENIVASAN: A new report from the investigative journalism¹ organization ProPublica in conjunction with the New York Times reveals that the Trump² administration is shrinking the size of the Environmental Protection Agency just as it said it would. Among the findings – 700 people have left the agency since the start of the Trump administration, 200 of whom are scientists and another 96 are environmental protection specialists. Lisa Friedman of The New York Times joins us to help explain what this means for the agency. Lisa, 700 people sounds like a lot of people and the goal is even higher right?

LISA FRIEDMAN: Absolutely. I mean this is an agency of about 15,000 people that sounds like a lot but there also has been an incredible decrease since the Obama administration pushed by Republican budget cuts. When the Trump administration started they said they wanted to cut this agency by about 3,200 people and they're well on their way.

HARI SREENIVASAN: All right so what happens if, as all of these people have left, what are the repercussions³? Is there less science being performed or are there is there a different type of response that the agency can provide after a disaster or perhaps before one?

LISA FRIEDMAN: About 700 people have left the agency since the beginning of the year through a combination of buyouts and retirements⁵ and some have just quit. We spoke⁶ to dozens of current and former EPA employees who are really worried that science is at risk at the agency. That their ability to understand how pesticides⁷ are affecting our air and water, how increased pollution can be abated⁸ are are the kinds of things that will increasingly be at risk. Not to mention their ability to to deal with big impact issues whether they are spills or fires or other things that create hazardous⁹ toxic¹⁰ issues for Americans.

HARI SREENIVASAN: What are the long term consequences for an agency like this because on the one hand you have some people who are close to retirement⁴ who are going to take a buyout or leave early. but then what happens to kind of that institutional knowledge and how it gets passed down to younger scientists?

LISA FRIEDMAN: It's a significant brain drain in part because it does not seem that it is getting passed down to younger scientists. People are leaving and whereas in past years they might put in younger employees who had mentors¹¹ within the agency and could learn from their experience and grow and become the experts themselves, that's happening less and less. Increasingly these positions are just gone. I think this is in part a reflection of morale¹² – both I and reporters at ProPublica with whom I did this story, you know we talked to many many employees in the agency. Former employees said to us we have been here through Republican and Democrat¹³ administrations alike and we have never seen an atmosphere like this where we feel our work is so devalued. There are many people in the administration who vehemently¹⁴ dispute that characterization of course but the scientists and the EPA employees we talked to, said that part of the large number of buyouts reflects not only the ability to retire a little early but also a sense that they feel that they are not going to be able to accomplish their mission under this administration.

HARI SREENIVASAN: Alright. Lisa Friedman of the New York Times joining us from Washington. Thanks so much.

LISA FRIEDMAN: Thanks so much.

1 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

2 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。

3 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

5 retirements   

退休( retirement的名词复数 )； 退职； 退役； 退休的实例

参考例句：

• We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
• Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除，作为编余人员，暂时解雇或退休。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 abated   

减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼）

参考例句：

• The worker's concern about cuts in the welfare funding has not abated. 工人们对削减福利基金的关心并没有减少。
• The heat has abated. 温度降低了。

9 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

10 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

11 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

12 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

13 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

14 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。