美国国家公共电台 NPR Get To Know Andrew Wheeler, Ex-Coal Lobbyist With Inside Track To Lead EPA

 

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The Environmental Protection Agency gets a new leader next week. Andrew Wheeler will take over as acting¹ administrator². Of course this is because Scott Pruitt resigned yesterday amid many allegations of ethical³ violations⁴. We'll get a chance to chat about that in a moment. But first, let's take a look at Wheeler. As NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports, he brings far more experience to the job than his predecessor⁵.

REBECCA HERSHER, BYLINE⁶: When Andrew Wheeler was fresh out of law school, he got a job at the EPA - special assistant in the agency's Toxics⁸ office. He helped write rules about how much information chemical companies disclose to the public. And after a few years, Wheeler did what many young environmental lawyers hoped to do. He landed a job in Congress, working for the Senate committee that oversees⁹ the EPA.

SCOTT SEGAL: Well, I've known Andy a long time.

HERSHER: Scott Segal is a partner at the law firm Bracewell LLP.

SEGAL: He is not an accidental administrator. He is somebody who has been preparing for a position of responsibility like this really for all of his life. I mean, he is a student of environmental policy.

HERSHER: Over the years, Wheeler has helped draft regulations on tons of major environmental issues - toxic⁷ waste, air and water pollution, climate change. And in many cases, he's worked to decrease the power of the federal government to regulate industry, blocking or weakening rules about chemical factories, refineries¹⁰ and manufacturers. At his Senate confirmation¹¹ hearing, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts asked Wheeler what he thinks about climate science.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ED MARKEY: Do you believe human activity is driving the temperature increases on the planet?

ANDREW WHEELER: I believe that man has an impact on the climate, but what's not completely understood is what the impact is.

HERSHER: The overwhelming scientific consensus¹² is that human greenhouse gas emissions¹³ are driving global climate change. Wheeler's position - casting doubt on the science as he deregulates industry - mirrors the broader position of the Trump¹⁴ administration. Segal thinks Wheeler's experience in Washington sets him up better than his predecessor to advance the Trump agenda.

SEGAL: To be frank with you, I don't think we'll see the kinds of personal issues that bedeviled the last administrator. He is a consensus builder.

HERSHER: Even some Democrats¹⁶ are cautiously hopeful. The ranking Democrat¹⁵ on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Tom Carper, told NPR's Morning Edition it's possible Wheeler will turn a page and surprise people in his running of the agency. But environmental groups are sounding the alarm. One of their main concerns - after Wheeler left the Senate, he lobbied for years for one of the largest coal companies in the country. Bob Deans is a spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense¹⁷ Council.

BOB DEANS: Going from a train wreck¹⁸ to a house on fire doesn't give us comfort. The fact is we have an Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, spearheading the worst White House assault in history on our environment and public health.

HERSHER: Wheeler is expected to stick with the EPA's agenda of rolling back multiple Obama-era climate and pollution rules. But Deans says some of those attempts have been held up in the courts because the EPA hasn't backed up its new positions with sufficient science.

DEANS: These safeguards were developed in most cases over years and with enormous amount of input¹⁹ from the public, from every stakeholder imaginable. And if they're going to try to take down those safeguards, the law requires that they demonstrate they have a better idea.

HERSHER: Which is where Andrew Wheeler's regulatory experience may come in handy. If the EPA is to succeed with its current agenda, the devil will be in the policy details. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News.

1 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。

2 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

5 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

8 toxics   

n.毒物（toxic的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Corrosives are generally toxic, so follow the precautions cited in the following section on toxics. 腐蚀剂一般来说是有毒的，所以请遵守下文关于毒品的防范措施。 来自互联网
• Objective To evaluate the diagnostic methods and treatment of gastric ulcer perforating with toxics tubular necrosis. 目的探讨胃溃疡穿孔合并中毒性肾小管坏死的诊断方法与治疗方案。 来自互联网

9 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

10 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

11 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

12 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

13 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

14 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

15 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

16 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

18 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

19 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。