评论
打印
A power center that will create electricity by pumping hot water from the earth sounds like a good idea.
通过从地下抽取热水来发电的电力中心听起来是个好主意。
The company that hopes to build the power center in a part of western Nevada says it will create electricity without creating very much pollution.
希望在内华达州西部部分地区建造电力中心的公司表示，其将在不造成太多污染的情况下发电。
But the U.S. government's Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) says the project will greatly change the area where a very small toad lives.
但美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局表示，该项目将会极大地改变一种非常小的蟾蜍的栖息地。
A toad is a small animal that looks like a frog but has dry skin and lives on land.
蟾蜍是一种小型动物，外形像青蛙，但蟾蜍的皮肤干燥，生活在陆地上。
The Dixie Valley toad lives in a small area about 160 kilometers from Reno, Nevada.
迪克西谷蟾蜍生活在距离内华达州里诺市约160公里的一小片区域。
It is the only place it is known to exist on Earth.
这里是地球上唯一已知的迪克西谷蟾蜍存在的地方。
Because of the power center plans, the FWS in April temporarily moved the toad from its "threatened" list to its "endangered list."
由于该电力中心的计划，美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局在4月暂时将这种蟾蜍从“受威胁物种”名单移至“濒危物种名单”。
Animals on the endangered list are at a much higher risk of going extinct, or no longer existing.
濒危物种名单上的动物灭绝的风险要高得多。
Last week, the FWS finalized that temporary move.
上周，美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局确定了这一临时举措。
It officially declared the Dixie Valley toad an endangered species.
它正式宣布迪克西谷蟾蜍为濒危物种。
In its final ruling, the FWS said it was concerned that the power center will take the hot water from the ground before it can reach the surface naturally.
美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局在其最终裁决中表示，其担心该电力中心会在热水自然到达地表之前从地下取走热水。
The place where hot water comes up through the ground is a hot spring.
热水从地下冒出来的地方就是温泉。
The toads can only live on land that stays warm and wet because of the water from the ground.
由于这种来自地下的水，蟾蜍只能生活在温暖湿润的陆地上。
FWS experts do not believe the toad will be able to adapt, or get used to, to the new environment.
美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局专家认为，这种蟾蜍无法适应新环境。
"These conditions could result in the species no longer persisting," or living, the FWS wrote.
美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局写道，“这种环境可能会导致该物种不再存在”。
The FWS also noted that the power project will change the conditions too quickly to give the toad a chance to adapt.
美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局还指出，该电力项目改变环境的速度太快，使得蟾蜍没有机会去适应。
An environmental advocacy group called the Center for Biological Diversity said it was pleased with the FWS decision to protect the toad.
一个名为“生物多样性中心”的环境倡导组织表示，其对美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局保护蟾蜍的决定感到高兴。
Patrick Donnelly is the group's director for the area that includes Nevada.
帕特里克·唐纳利是该组织在该地区（其中包括内华达州）的负责人。
He called the decision an "essential step to prevent the extinction" of a special animal.
他称这一决定是“防止一种特殊动物灭绝的重要步骤”。
Donnelly agreed that clean energy is important in fighting the climate crisis.
唐纳利承认清洁能源在应对气候危机方面的重要性。
"But," he said, "it can't come at the cost of extinction."
“但是，”他说，“它不能以灭绝为代价。”
The power company behind the project is called Ormat Technology.
该项目背后的电力公司名为Ormat Technology。
Its original plan called for building two power plants that would produce 60 megawatts of electricity.
它最初的计划是建造两座发电厂，发电量将会达到6千万瓦。
Environmental activists took legal action to block the building of the power plant late last year.
去年年底，环保人士采取法律行动阻止了发电厂的建设。
A Reno judge is still considering the case.
里诺市的一名法官仍在审理此案。
In October, Ormat asked the judge to put the case on hold while it developed a new plan to build just one plant that would produce only 12 megawatts of power.
10月，Ormat要求该法官搁置此案，同时该公司制定了一项新计划，即只建造一座发电量仅为1.2千万瓦的电厂。
Ormat's Vice President is Paul Thomsen.
Ormat的副总裁是保罗·汤姆森。
He said the company's plan to create the power center will "support the fight against climate change" and is in line with U.S. President Joe Biden's plans to create clean energy.
他表示，该公司创建电力中心的计划将“支持应对气候变化的斗争”，并与美国总统乔·拜登创建清洁能源的计划一致。
Thomsen said the FWS ruling was not surprising, considering the emergency move to protect the toad last April.
汤姆森表示，考虑到去年4月为保护蟾蜍而采取的紧急行动，美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局的裁决并不令人意外。
He also said the ruling does not change what Ormat is already doing to reduce and avoid possible harmful effects on the toad.
他还表示，该裁决不会改变Ormat已经在做的事情，以减少和避免对蟾蜍可能造成的有害影响。
I'm Dan Friedell.
丹·弗里德尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
