时代周刊 环保署的争议氛围(1)(在线收听

The EPA's climate of controversy

环保署的争议氛围

By Justin Worland

文/贾斯汀·沃兰

THE BIG THREE U. S. AUTOMAKERS HIT THE road early to ask the Trump Administration to hit the brakes on regulation.

美国汽车制造业的三巨头早早地就向特朗普政府提出了放松监管政策的要求。

Not long after last year's presidential inauguration, the CEOs of GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler traveled to Washington, D.C.,

去年总统就职典礼后不久,通用、福特和菲亚特的CEO们便前往华盛顿

and made an in-person pitch to soften vehicle-emissions rules enacted under President Obama.

亲自游说特朗普政府放宽奥巴马执政期间制定的汽车尾气排放政策。

A few weeks later, during a visit to Detroit, President Trump promised to take care of the auto industry.

几周后,在对底特律进行访问期间,特朗普总统承诺会关照汽车行业。

Now that Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt has delivered,

然而,由于环保署署长斯科特·普鲁伊特已经兑现了放宽政策的承诺,

however, carmakers are concerned that the rollback will bring a whole new set of challenges.

汽车制造商们担心,政策的推回会带来一系列新的挑战。

Pruitt announced on April 2 that he would undo a regulation

普鲁伊特4月2日宣布,他将撤销

that would have required automakers to reach an average fuel economy of 54.5 m.p.g. by 2025,

要求汽车制造商在2025年前将油耗降到平均每加仑54.5英里,

thereby preventing 6 billion metric tons of global-warming-causing greenhouse-gas emissions and saving 12 billion barrels of oil.

从而减少60亿吨温室气体,节约120亿桶石油的规定。

The decision represents one of the Trump Administration's most aggressively regressive moves yet on climate change.

普鲁伊特的这一决定是特朗普政府迄今为止在气候变化问题上做出的最激进的推回动作之一。

In making the announcement, Pruitt criticized his predecessors for unrealistic goals and promised to "get this right going forward."

在宣布这一决定时,普鲁伊特一方面批评了自己的前任们设置的目标不切实际,另一方面也承诺要“让形势回归正轨”。

But the rollout fell flat.

不过,普鲁伊特的这一决定并没有达到预期效果。

The EPA failed to find an auto dealer to play host,

环保署没能找到愿意充当东道主的汽车经销商,

so Pruitt delivered brief remarks at the agency's headquarters, with limited press access.

所以,普鲁伊特在环保署总部只发表了简短的讲话,同时只允许一小部分媒体采访。

Trump didn't show up.

在此期间,特朗普既没有露面,

Nor did he tweet about it, as he has for past environmental rollbacks.

也依旧没有在推特上发文,和过去几次环保政策推回时的情形一样。

And while auto-industry trade groups attended and praised the move,

而且,尽管汽车行业的多个商业集团都参加了会议并对普鲁伊特的举措表示赞赏,

individual car companies stayed largely silent, distancing themselves from the decision.

个体汽车企业基本上都持沉默态度,有意与这一决定保持距离。

In a blog post, Ford executive chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Hackett said

福特执行董事长比尔·福特和CEO吉姆·哈克特在一篇博客文章中表示,

that they "support increasing clean-car standards through 2025"

他们“支持2025年前提高清洁汽车的标准”,

and added, "At Ford, we believe we must deliver on CO2 reductions consistent with the Paris Climate Accord."

还说,“就福特内部而言,我们认为,我们必须兑现与巴黎气候协议一致的二氧化碳减排承诺。”

Indeed, those standards were one of two key policies

的确,那些标准可以说是

underpinning an Obama Administration promise to the world that the U.S. would address global warming,

奥巴马政府向世界承诺的,美国会解决全球变暖问题的两大关键政策之一,

and environmental scientists expected the rule to become increasingly important for reducing the nation's carbon footprint.

环境科学家估计,这一规定对美国减少碳足迹会越来越重要。

"Without the rules," says Ann Carlson, a professor of environmental law at the UCLA School of Law,

“没有了这些规定,”加州大学洛杉矶分校法学院环境法教授安·卡尔森表示,

"we're going to see a different kind of auto market."

“汽车市场就会大变样。”

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/sdzk/514467.html