密歇根新闻广播 州长绕过立法机关达成协议

 

There's something curiously¹ similar in the way Governor Rick Snyder handled negotiations² for the new Detroit River bridge at the beginning of his administration, and the proposed deal announced yesterday with Enbridge on the future of Line 5, the oil pipeline³ that runs under the Straits if Mackinac.

In both cases, he seems to have decided⁴ the legislature was essentially⁵ dysfunctional, and went ahead and made his own deal. That assessment⁶ was certainly accurate in the case of the bridge. Whether that's true in the case of Enbridge isn't clear, but what this agreement does do is allow the governor's office to keep control of the process during the next few stages.

By the way, it would be easy to see the deal with Enbridge as meaning more than it does. This doesn't mean the company is agreeing to shut down Line 5, ever.

Essentially, all the Canadian-based firm is agreeing to do is take the section of Line 5 in the St. Clair River and move it to a tunnel under the river.

If it makes you feel better, Enbridge is also promising⁷ to shut down Line 5 anytime there is a storm that lasts at least an hour and produces waves more than eight feet, which sounds like a disaster movie to me. Oh, and they will "study" what to do about the twin pipelines⁸ under the Straits of Mackinac, and submit a report to the state by next June 15.

The timing⁹ makes a certain amount of sense in one way.

Primary campaigns for every state office will be fast and furious next June. The one place relatively¹⁰ insulated from election-year politics may be the term-limited governor's office. But while Mr. Snyder may be able to be dispassionate, he will also be a lame¹¹ duck. If Enbridge doesn't like what Snyder ends up proposing, well, he will be gone forever less than six months later.

The company could stall, and take their chances on a better deal with the next governor. On the other hand, this may give Snyder more power and more leverage¹². You can imagine him saying, "you may not love my terms, but if Gretchen Whitmer is the next governor, she's going to do everything she can to shut Line 5 down."

As far as yesterday's agreement, it is significant that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette thought it was just great, while the environmental groups I heard from think it is just horrible. Food and Water Watch said, for example, that this was "a false solution meant to distract from a real solution."

I don't claim to be an environmental engineer, but I do know these things: If Enbridge's 64-year-old Line 5 were to break, Lakes Huron and Michigan could be damaged beyond repair.

I also know the company was not truthful¹³ at first about the extent of damage to the safety coatings on Line 5. Plus, when Enbridge's line near the Kalamazoo River broke seven years ago, incompetent¹⁴ operators assumed it was only clogged¹⁵, and tried to force more crude oil through it. I think we need to err¹⁶ on the side of safety, and I'm not sure this deal gets us there.

Jack¹⁷ Lessenberry is Michigan Radio's Senior Political Analyst¹⁸. Views expressed in his essays are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.

1 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

2 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。

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 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

9 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

11 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

12 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

13 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

14 incompetent   

adj.无能力的，不能胜任的

参考例句：

• He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
• He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。

15 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

16 err   

vi.犯错误，出差错

参考例句：

• He did not err by a hair's breadth in his calculation.他的计算结果一丝不差。
• The arrows err not from their aim.箭无虚发。

17 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

18 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。