美国国家公共电台 NPR--Without the help of Congress, Biden tries to do more to address climate change

Without the help of Congress, Biden tries to do more to address climate change

Transcript¹

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Leah Stokes, an expert on clean energy and climate policy, about options the Biden administration can use to address climate change in the absence of Congressional action.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Parts of Europe are burning. The U.K. is dealing² with heat so extreme that it melted a runway at the airport. And in the U.S., a heat dome³ has settled over the Southwest, the southern Plains and the lower Mississippi Valley, which means a hundred million Americans are under heat warnings. President Biden tried to salvage⁴ his tattered⁵ climate policy in the midst of this extreme heat by pushing billions of dollars to cities and states to help them cope better. But yesterday, he stopped just short of declaring a climate emergency. Leah Stokes, a professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California at Santa Barbara, joins us now to talk about what Biden can do about climate change. Good morning.

LEAH STOKES: Well, thanks so much for having me on.

FADEL: Thank you for being here. So President Biden announced yesterday $2.3 billion for communities to help them prepare for climate disasters with cooling centers and air conditioning and new offshore⁶ wind energy leases for the Gulf⁷ of Mexico coast. What's your immediate⁸ reaction, as a climate policy expert, to this announcement?

STOKES: Well, the reason why President Biden went to Massachusetts to make those announcements was because the climate negotiations⁹ in Congress fell apart last week...

FADEL: Right.

STOKES: ...When Senator Manchin walked away from the negotiating table. So, you know, President Biden is trying to deliver an alternative to that. And he made it clear that he's ready to use executive action. But we know that, you know, there really is no substitute for legislation. The president can do a lot, but he can't create $350 billion in clean energy and climate investments, which is what was on the table before Senator Manchin walked away.

FADEL: So what can he do without Congress? Because that door, at least for now, is closed.

STOKES: Well, President Biden has a lot of authorities that he can use. He can, for example, use the Clean Air Act, a bedrock law that dates back decades, to cut carbon pollution from power plants, whether that's new power plants or existing ones. He can also allow California to move ahead to set their own rules for clean trucks. And he can also set those same rules nationally for the other states in the country. There are other things like, for example, blocking permits for fossil fuel developments, including one that runs right through West Virginia, a pipeline¹⁰ that Senator Manchin really wanted to get approved. And if Senator Manchin's not willing to do the right thing on climate for his grandchildren, for example, then, you know, the permit for that pipeline really should not be approved.

FADEL: Now, there are downsides - right? - to relying on executive action.

STOKES: Yes, there are. The reason why we need Congress to act is because we want to be building made-in-America jobs. We want to be leading, for the 21st century, technologies that we know we're going to be using - solar and wind, batteries - even some technologies that Senator Manchin has claimed to support, like hydrogen and carbon capture and sequestration. You know, without Congress acting¹¹ and investing dollars, we aren't going to have those technologies built in the United States. And there are even parts of the infrastructure¹² bill that Senator Manchin championed that could become stranded¹³ if Congress does not pass another climate investment package.

FADEL: Now, what could President Biden do to get Senator Manchin back to the negotiating table here?

STOKES: We really need Senator Manchin to wake up. And, you know, it's very frustrating¹⁴ because not only is this the right thing for his constituents¹⁵, in terms of creating jobs in West Virginia in the clean energy economy, you know, it's also just the right thing morally. We know we have to act on the climate crisis. It's on our doorstep right now. And to walk away from the deal that Congress has negotiated for the last 18 months is really just unconscionable.

FADEL: But the reality is the U.S. isn't acting. If Biden can't get a climate bill through Congress, where does that leave the United States in relation to climate goals?

STOKES: Well, President Biden can still do a lot when it comes to trying to cut carbon pollution. He can use the Clean Air Act to target pollution from power plants and heavy industry. He can make sure we have clean car standards and clean truck standards. He can go ahead on trying to block permits for new fossil fuel development in the United States. And, you know, he can do other things, too, that will really make a difference. It's not enough, and it is not a substitute for what Congress needs to be doing, which is delivering dollars to invest in the clean energy future - you know, the economy we really need. But President Biden understands that climate change is happening now, and I'm sure that he wants to deliver the livable planet that we all need.

FADEL: Leah Stokes, a professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, thank you so much for joining us.

STOKES: Thanks for having me on.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

4 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

5 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

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 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

10 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。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

12 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。

13 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

14 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》