2020年经济学人 饮用水危机--数百万美国人都在喝含铅水(3)

With federal help, states and cities might move faster. One concern is regulation. The EPA last updated its Lead and Copper¹ Rule, setting out how fast lead pipes should be replaced, in 1991. It requires 7% of them in a given site to be swapped² out yearly, though this has evidently not been enforced. An amendment³ the EPA sent to the White House in July, which is still awaiting Donald Trump’s signature, would relax that to 3% a year. (It would also tighten⁴ rules to speed replacement⁵ in schools.) Mr Olson calls the proposed change “appalling”.

在联邦政府的帮助下，各州和各城市的行动可能会加快。其中的一个问题是监管问题。美国环境保护局最近一次更新铅和铜的规定是在1991年，规定了铅水管的更换速度。它要求给定的场所每年更换7%的铅水管，尽管显然没有强制执行该规定。美国环境保护局7月送交白宫的一份修正案仍在等待唐纳德·特朗普的签署，该修正案将铅水管的更换速度放宽至每年3%。（它还将收紧规定，加快学校的铅水管更替速度。）奥尔森称提议的改革“骇人听闻”。

Cities want to make changes, but swapping⁶ out 10m service lines could cost $50bn, says Mr Olson (it is cheaper to do it in bulk). Twice this summer the Democrat-run House of Representatives passed bills to start paying for it—first a $22.5bn authorisation, then an appropriations⁷ bill that set aside $1bn for this fiscal⁸ year. Proposed infrastructure⁹ bills also include sums for removing lead pipes. But in the Senate such plans have, so far, led nowhere.

奥尔森表示，城市希望做出改变，但更换1000万条服务线路可能需要500亿美元（批量更换成本更低）。今年夏天，民主党管理下的众议院两次通过法案，开始为其买单，首先是225亿美元的授权，然后是为本财年划拨10亿美元的拨款法案。拟议的基础设施法案还包括拆除铅水管的费用。但到目前为止，此类计划在参议院毫无进展。

Joe Biden’s administration could nudge things on. The EPA may set higher standards again and might order overdue¹⁰ public hearings on the topic, perhaps in badly afflicted¹¹ cities like Flint. A bill co-sponsored by a Republican congressman¹² from New Jersey¹³, Chris Smith, would require all lead pipes to be replaced within a decade. His timetable may look too ambitious, but waiting for 500 more years to fix the problem isn’t much of a plan, either.

乔·拜登政府可以推动事态发展。美国环境保护局可能会再次制定更高的标准，并可能会下令就这一问题举行早应完成的的听证会，也许会在弗林特这样的饱受摧残的城市举行。新泽西州共和党国会议员克里斯·史密斯联合发起的一项法案将要求在10年内更换所有铅水管。他的时间安排看起来过于艰巨，但再等500年来解决这个问题也算不上是什么计划。

1 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

2 swapped   

交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来）

参考例句：

• I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套，她喜欢我的外套，于是我们就交换了。
• At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

5 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

6 swapping   

交换，交换技术

参考例句：

• The slow swapping and buying of horses went on. 马匹的买卖和交换就是这样慢慢地进行着。
• He was quite keen on swapping books with friends. 他非常热衷于和朋友们交换书籍。

7 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

8 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

9 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。

10 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

11 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

12 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

13 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。