环保组织威胁起诉美国环保局

Green groups are threatening to sue the US environmental regulator, alleging it is failing in its duty to tackle a surge in earthquakes that they blame on the American shale revolution.

环保组织正威胁要起诉美国环境监管部门，指控该机构未能尽到责任对付他们所称的美国页岩革命造成地震数量大幅增多的问题。

The groups said yesterday that they were preparing a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for not curbing the disposal of waste water by oil companies, a practice that scientists say has triggered a rise in seismic activity.

这些环保组织昨日表示，它们正准备起诉美国环境保护局(Environmental Protection Agency)未能限制石油公司的废水处理方式，科学家表示，这种做法导致地震活动增加。

Earthquakes linked to oil and gas production have unnerved residents in Oklahoma and Texas and become an unexpectedly pressing problem for the US fracking boom. Two oil producers are already being sued by a woman injured in a 2011 Oklahoma quake.

与油气生产相关的地震令俄克拉荷马州和德克萨斯州的居民感到恐慌，已意外地成为美国水力压裂热潮面临的一个紧迫问题。一名在2011年俄克拉荷马州地震中受伤的女性已在起诉两家石油生产商。

The groups threatening to sue the EPA, their usual ally, say the agency has a legal obligation to update rules on the disposal of waste water from oil production, which are unchanged since 1988.

这些环保组织威胁将起诉它们通常的盟友美国环保局，他们表示，美国环保局有法律义务修改有关石油生产废水处理的规则，自1988年以来，这些规则就没有变过。

“We think EPA’s failure to act is particularly egregious in light of the shale boom and the vast amount of waste it has generated,” said Adam Kron, a lawyer at the Environmental Integrity Project, which is part of the coalition. “We’re flying blind here. We need to have some rules in place.”

“我们认为，鉴于页岩热潮及其产生的大量废水，美国环保局未能采取措施尤为令人震惊，”环保组织——环境保全项目(Environmental Integrity Project)的律师亚当克龙(Adam Kron)表示，“我们正处于无法可依的状态。我们需要有一些规则。”

The oil and gas industry is trying to fend off regulations that would require it to overhaul its practices or spend more money, as it buckles under the strain of sub-$40 a barrel US crude.

油气行业正试图抵制要求该行业大幅改变做法或增加支出的监管规定，该行业正艰难应对美国油价低于每桶40美元的压力。

“Anything that raises costs right now is a problem,” said Kim Hatfield, president of Crawley Petroleum and an officer of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association.

Crawley石油公司总裁、俄克拉荷马州独立石油协会(Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association)官员基姆哈特菲尔德(Kim Hatfield)表示：“眼下，任何加大成本的事情都是问题。”

The quakes are not caused by fracking, the widespread process that involves blasting water and chemicals underground at high pressure to shatter the shale rock. The US Geological Survey has instead pointed the finger at the way companies handle unwanted water released as a byproduct of fracking. This water is pumped into separate subterranean wells where, scientists say, it can reactivate formerly stable faults.

地震并非是由水力压裂操作引起的，这一普遍工艺涉及以高压向地下大量注入水和化学物质，以裂解页岩。相反，美国地质调查局(US Geological Survey)指责企业对水力压裂的副产品——废水的处理方式。科学家表示，这些废水被注入另外的地下井，可能令之前稳定的断层重新活跃起来。

The industry says the cause of tremors has not been settled. David Lawler, chief executive of BP’s business in the continental US, said: “At the moment it’s inconclusive.”

油气行业表示，有关轻度地震的原因并不确定。英国石油(BP)美国大陆业务首席执行官大卫劳勒(David Lawler)表示：“目前尚无定论。”

The EPA would not comment on the lawsuit threat but said existing rules covered seismic matters and that it would continue to work with states to address potential concerns.

美国环保局不愿对诉讼威胁置评，但表示，现有规定涵盖地震问题，将继续与各州合作，应对潜在担忧。