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原文出自NYTimes
EuropeFindsCleanEnergyinTrash,butU.S.Lags
ByELISABETHROSENTHAL
Published:April12,2010
HORSHOLM,Denmark—Thelawyersandengineerswhodwellinanelegantenclavehereareatpeacewiththehulkingneighborjustoverthebackfence:avastenergyplantthatburnsthousandsoftonsofhouseholdgarbageandindustrialwaste,roundtheclock.
Farcleanerthanconventionalincinerators,thisnewtypeofplantconvertslocaltrashintoheatandelectricity.Dozensoffilterscatchpollutants,frommercurytodioxin,thatwouldhaveemergedfromitssmokestackonlyadecadeago.
Inthattime,suchplantshavebecomeboththemainstayofgarbagedisposalandacrucialfuelsourceacrossDenmark,fromwealthyexurbslikeHorsholmtoCopenhagen’sdowntownarea.Theirusehasnotonlyreducedthecountry’senergycostsandrelianceonoilandgas,butalsobenefitedtheenvironment,diminishingtheuseoflandfillsandcuttingcarbondioxideemissions.Theplantsrunsocleanlythatmanytimesmoredioxinisnowreleasedfromhomefireplacesandbackyardbarbecuesthanfromincineration.
Withalltheseinnovations,Denmarknowregardsgarbageasacleanalternativefuelratherthanasmelly,unsightlyproblem.Andtheincinerators,knownaswaste-to-energyplants,haveacquiredconsiderablecachetascommunitieslikeHorsholmvietohavethembuilt.
Denmarknowhas29suchplants,serving98municipalitiesinacountryof5.5millionpeople,and10moreareplannedorunderconstruction.AcrossEurope,thereareabout400plants,withDenmark,GermanyandtheNetherlandsleadingthepackinexpandingthemandbuildingnewones.
Bycontrast,nonewwaste-to-energyplantsarebeingplannedorbuiltintheUnitedStates,theEnvironmentalProtectionAgencysays—eventhoughthefederalgovernmentand24statesnowclassifywastethatisburnedthiswayforenergyasarenewablefuel,inmanycaseseligibleforsubsidies.Thereareonly87trash-burningpowerplantsintheUnitedStates,acountryofmorethan300millionpeople,andalmostallwerebuiltatleast15yearsago.
Instead,distantlandfillsremaintheendpointformostofthenation’strash.NewYorkCityalonesends10,500tonsofresidentialwasteeachdaytolandfillsinplaceslikeOhioandSouthCarolina.
“Europehasgottenoutaheadwiththisnewesttechnology,”saidIanA.Bowles,aformerClintonadministrationofficialwhoisnowtheMassachusettsstatesecretaryofenergy.
Still,Mr.BowlessaidthatasAmerica’scurrentlandfillstoppedoutandpressuretoreduceheat-trappinggasesgrew,Massachusettsandsomeotherstateswere“activelyconsidering”newwaste-to-energyproposals;severalexistingplantsarebeingexpanded.Hesaidheexpectedresistanceallthesameinaplacewhereevenawindturbinesetsoffprotests.
WhyAmericansAreReluctant
MattHale,directoroftheOfficeofResourceConservationandRecoveryoftheUnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,saidthereasonsthatwaste-to-energyplantshadnotcaughtonnationallyweretherelativeabundanceofcheaplandfillsinalargecountry,oppositionfromstateofficialswhofearedtheplantscouldundercutrecyclingprogramsanda“negativepublicperception.”IntheUnitedStates,individualstatesandmunicipalitiesgenerallydecidewhatmethodtousetogetridoftheirwaste.