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As the United States pushes to use more low-carbon energy, there has been a recent improvement in relations between the hydropower industry and some environmental groups.

随着美国推动使用更多低碳能源，水电行业和一些环保组织之间的关系最近有所改善。

The recent compromises are found in President Joe Biden's infrastructure² law, which puts $2.5 billion toward projects including dam removals as well as improvements to existing structures for hydropower and energy storage.

最近的妥协体现在拜登总统的基础设施法案中，这项法案将25亿美元用于包括拆除大坝以及改善现有水电和储能结构在内的项目。

Ted¹ Illston of American Rivers, a group that has pushed for dam removals on environmental grounds, recently told the Associated Press that the group recognizes "that (hydropower) is probably going to play some role in the transition. It's certainly better than coal."

美国河流协会是一家以环境为由推动拆除大坝的组织，该组织的泰德·伊尔斯顿最近对美联社表示，该组织认识到“水电可能会在过渡期发挥一些作用，它肯定比煤炭好。”

Hydropower in the United States

美国水电

Hydropower uses flowing water to move turbines connected to generators³. It is the oldest and second-largest sort of renewable energy in the U.S. after wind power. In 2020, it accounted for roughly 7 percent of the electricity generated in the country.

水力发电利用水流推动连接到发电机上的涡轮机。它是美国最古老以及第二大可再生能源，仅次于风力发电。2020年，它大约占到了美国发电量的7%。

The industry has not received as much federal money as wind and solar, but sees room for growth. Of the 90,000 dams in the country, about 2,500 produce power. Non-powered dams could produce enough power for 9 to 12 million homes, said an estimate by the Electric Power Supply Association based on federal data from 2012.

该行业不像风能和太阳能获得那么多联邦资金，但是也看到了增长空间。在该国大约9万座大坝中，约有2500座在发电。美国电力供应协会根据2012年的联邦数据估计，未发电水坝可以为900万到1200万家庭提供足够电力。

In southwestern Pennsylvania, Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is adding turbines to eight dams to generate electricity. The company says the improved structures will limit damage to the rivers' water quality and fish.

在宾夕法尼亚州西南部，总部位于波士顿的水电公司 Rye Development 正在为八座水坝增加涡轮机用于发电。该公司表示，改进后的大坝将会限制住对河流水质和鱼类的破坏。

Rye is among the companies that sees an opportunity to expand hydropower production at existing dams while working to minimize environmental harms.

Rye公是看到有机会扩大现有大坝水电产能，同时努力将环境危害降至最低的公司之一。

Part of the difficulty is that most dams in the U.S. were built more than fifty years ago.

部分困难在于美国大多数水坝都是50多年前建造的。

The risk of dam collapses⁴ has led to increased dam removals or demolitions⁶ in recent years, with more than 40 percent of the country's dam removals in the past century happening in the last ten years.

大坝的倒塌风险导致近年来大坝拆除的增加，在过去一个世纪中，该国拆除的大坝中有40%是过去10年里拆的。

Last month, federal officials moved a step closer to approving what would be the largest dam demolition⁵ in U.S. history. Removal of the four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River near the Oregon-California border would help save the river's salmon⁷ and other fish species that cannot reach breeding areas because of the structures.

上个月，联邦官员更接近批准美国历史上最大的大坝拆除行动。拆除俄勒冈州和加利福尼亚州交界处附近克拉马斯河上的4座水电站将有助于拯救这条河流中的鲑鱼以及其它因为该大坝无法抵达繁殖区域的鱼类。

Ongoing⁸ debates

持续争论

Despite some recent improvements in relations between the hydropower industry and environmental groups, there are still disagreements. On Maine's Kennebec River, environmental groups and state environmental agencies are pushing for the removal of four hydropower dams that block endangered Atlantic salmon from reaching key areas. The dams make about 5 percent of the state's renewable energy.

尽管水电行业和环保组织之间的关系最近有所改善，但是仍然存在分歧。在缅因州的肯尼贝克河上，环保组织和州环保机构正在推动拆除4座阻止濒临灭绝的大西洋鲑鱼抵达关键区域的水电站大坝。这些大坝提供了该州大约5%的可再生能源。

Shannon Ames of the Low Impact Hydropower Institute said, "It's very easy for individual river systems to get lost in the message of climate change and the need for renewable energy."

低影响水电研究所的香农·埃姆斯表示：“个别河流系统容易迷失在气候变化信息和对可能生能源的需求中。”

With drought affecting hydropower production in America's West, the industry has a more direct path to growth in eastern states.

由于干旱影响到美国西部的水电产能，该行业在东部州拥有更直接的增长途径。

In Pennsylvania, Rye met with the Low Impact Hydropower Institute early in its process and is among a small number of companies seeking certification from the group.

在宾夕法尼亚州，Rye公司在其早期流程中与低影响水电研究所会面，并且是少数寻求该机构认证的公司之一。

To get certified⁹, companies must show their structures meet protections for endangered species. The group says its environmental requirements are often stricter than state or federal rules.

要获得认证，公司必须证明其大坝符合对濒危物种的保护。该组织表示，其环境要求通常比州或联邦法规更严格。