VOA标准英语2011--Indiana Town's Economy Benefits from Canadian Oil Boom

Indiana Town's Economy Benefits from Canadian Oil Boom

The town of Whiting, Indiana, is home to the largest inland oil refinery¹ in the United States. The energy company BP operates the Whiting Refinery, which originally was built by the Standard Oil Company in 1889. Now with heavier crude oil piped into the facility from Canadian tar² sands, the facility is getting a multi-billion dollar upgrade. BP’s investment in the refinery is an economic windfall for the small town, but environmentalists say the improvements bring increased pollution.

It’s hard to find signs of high unemployment and a struggling economy along the streets of Whiting, Indiana.

Local resident Brian Lowry of the Whiting Development Commission says that is because Whiting is the beneficiary of one of BP’s biggest investment projects in North America, the upgrade of the Whiting Refinery.

“Thanks to that investment, which is the largest in the state of Indiana’s history, yes, we’ve been sheltered from the [economic] storm,” he said.

BP is spending an estimated $3.8 billion to increase the refinery’s capacity to process heavy crude oil, brought by pipeline³ from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada.

“So the $4 billion modernization⁴ is really providing a huge economic shot in the arm to northwest Indiana, in general,” Lowry said.

“Right now we have roughly 8,000 folks on site, about 6,000 contractors⁵ and roughly 2,000 full-time⁶ employees,” said Brad Etlin, BP’s local Director of Government and Public Affairs. “There are thousands of people on site each and every day that are out there visiting local stores and local restaurants. There are significant indirect benefits for local towns, local communities. When the modernization project is complete, there will be a significant increase in the tax base for some of the local municipalities.”

Although most people who live in the shadow of the refinery will enjoy lower property taxes and newly constructed public facilities, not everyone is happy that more oil will pass through the refinery.

“Is there going to be a price reduction for gasoline? I don’t think so,” said Steve Kozel, President of the Calumet Project, a citizens group he says that promotes social, economic and environmental justice. The organization has opposed some of BP’s environmental permits with the state of Indiana, citing concerns about the amount of pollution increased refining will create near the facility and along Lake Michigan.

“Our concern is what exactly is it going to be doing to the air," said Kozel. "They’re going to be increasing the sulfur⁷ by 20 percent, the particulate⁸ matter by 21 percent, and increasing lead by 25 percent into the air, so this is a big increase. You’re talking almost 20 percent, once the refinery is manufactured.”

BP’s Brad Etlin says some of the money for the modernization project is targeted at reducing the amount of pollution the plant produces.

“We’re investing more than $1 billion in environmental improvements - both in our waste water treatment plants as well as other parts of the refinery,” he said.

Local resident Brian Lowry says that so far, he has seen no ill effects.

“My children swim safely in the water here. Certainly we breathe the air here with no issues," he said. "So as far as environmental concerns go, I don’t have any.”

The upgrade to the Whiting facility, which produces about 405,000 barrels of oil a day, is about two-thirds completed. BP says the modernization project, which began in 2008, should be finished by 2013.

1 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

2 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

3 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

4 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

5 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

7 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

8 particulate   

adj.微小的；n.微粒，粒子

参考例句：

• A special group was organized to dig up the particulate of the case.成立了一个专门小组来查明该案件的各个细节。
• Lungs retain relatively insoluble particulate material.肺脏内留有不溶解的颗粒物质。