VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Executive Order Opens Window of

After 25 years of watered-down policies, proposed law would hold states accountable for polluting the Bay

Rosanne Skirble | Annapolis, Washington 30 November 2009

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EPA collected 19,000 postcards petitioning the government for tougher laws to restore the Chesapeake Bay

Only 40 percent of all sources of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay are actually regulated by the federal or state government." Chuck Fox, senior Environmental Protection Agency advisor¹

On a warm evening in August, St. Philips Episcopal Church in Annapolis, Maryland, opened its doors to a crowd of angry citizens. They were there to talk about the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Community activist² Vernice Miller-Travis raises concerns over development issues in the Chesapeake Bay watershed³ at a crowded town hall meeting in Annapolis, Maryland

Among them was Vernice Miller-Travis, an official with the Maryland Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities, who was frustrated⁴ by local zoning decisions that promote development. "We are not all on the same page, we are not about to get on the same page until we grapple with issue," she says.

Patchwork⁵ of laws have merely slowed Bay's decline

Miller-Travis directs her remarks to Chuck Fox, a senior Environmental Protection Agency advisor, who says getting everyone with a stake in the Bay's future to agree may require tougher regulations. "Only 40 percent of all sources of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay are actually regulated by the federal or state government. I don't think we get to a clean Bay if that number stays at only 40 percent," Fox says.

Outside his office in Annapolis, Environmental Protection Agency official Chuck Fox accepts 19,000 postcard petitions from citizens who call for stronger federal action in Bay restoration

A few weeks later, outside the Chesapeake Bay Program office in Annapolis, Fox is handed 19,000 postcards from citizens demanding strong federal action.  The top government advisor on the Chesapeake Bay, who is a former activist, understands the problems. "It is a sad state that the Chesapeake Bay today is not a whole lot better than it was 25 years ago and that is unacceptable and that has to change."

Restoration has been coordinated⁶ by the Chesapeake Bay Program  a federal-state partnership⁷ established in 1983; its recovery efforts thwarted⁸ by a population boom, an uneven⁹ patchwork of voluntary measures and pollution regulations and lax enforcement of rules.

Dissention within activist ranks stalls progress

In his book Fight for the Bay, U.S. Naval¹⁰ Academy political scientist Howard Ernst says failed policies, "have allowed pollution to go on unabated in a way that the Bay can't handle.  Whether it's agriculture, whether it's steel mills, whether it's air pollution, if you leave these industries to themselves, [it is in their own] economic best interests to dispose of their waste in public spaces like the Bay."

In Fight for the Bay U.S. Naval Academy political scientist Howard Ernst argues that an environmental awakening¹¹ is needed to save the Chesapeake Bay

Ernst argues those policies stem from two conflicted environmental camps that split loyalties¹² among Chesapeake activists¹³. On one side, are the so-called 'dark greens,' those who see environmental protection as a basic human right. "That you have a right to clean air, clean water and vibrant¹⁴ natural resources in your public spaces, and people that violate that right have to be stopped. You pass a law, you enforce it, and you make the polluters pay for cleaning up their mess," Ernst explains. 

On the other side, are the 'light greens,' who believe, Ernst says, "that with really good science and with a consensus¹⁵ based approach you can overcome this contentious¹⁶ politics of the 'dark greens' and people will voluntarily do the things that are necessary to restore the Bay."

Ernst contends that Bay restoration has largely been a 'light green' effort with what he calls "watered down, feel-good policies that slow the decline of the Bay, but never seem capable of actually reversing the downward trend."  And now after 25 years, he says, "we can say with a fair degree of certainty that asking nicely and showing science is not enough to change people's behavior."

New hard-line regulations could hold states accountable

Howard Ernst is guardedly optimistic that with a Democrat¹⁷ in the White House, a Democratic majority in Congress and with governors supporting Bay restoration, that Bay politics of the last 25 years can be reversed

Ernst says restoration requires laws, regulations and enforcement policies, a renewed 'dark green' approach.  Lisa P. Jackson, administrator¹⁸ at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, says the presidential executive order to restore the Bay issued in May could be a game changer.  A response to the executive order released in September would hold states accountable for the pollution they create.

Jackson says EPA could withhold¹⁹ federal funding or stop permits on new projects should states fail to meet pollution reduction targets. "I believe [in] what the President wanted when he issued the executive order. He called for bold, dramatic action. If we respond with anything less than I think that skepticism is warranted," she says.

The plan will be issued in 2010 after a period of public review.  At the same time Chesapeake Bay legislation is making its way through the U.S. Congress.  The new law would give the federal government more regulatory enforcement power, initiate²⁰ a pollution trading system and provide more than 1.5 billion dollars in grants for water management projects. Jackson says there is, "reason to be optimistic, hopeful that we'll see a different result from this effort."

But advocates fear that that the 2010 mid-term Congressional elections will put into office lawmakers opposed to strong federal regulations and enforcement and slow progress on the newly energized²¹ cleanup. In the end, the policies that can save the Chesapeake Bay have always hinged on the changing winds of American politics.
 

1 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

4 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。

6 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

8 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

9 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

10 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

11 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

12 loyalties   

n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情

参考例句：

• an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
• Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

15 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？

16 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

17 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。

18 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。

19 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

20 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。

21 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句