A conservative Tennessee group is using the sale of a small coal operation to a Chinese firm, believed by industry experts to be the first Chinese acquisition of U.S. coal assets, to push for a ban on high-elevation surface mining in the state.

　　田纳西州的一个保守派团体正在利用一家中国公司准备收购该州一小型煤矿一事，推动立法禁止高海拔露天采矿。行业专家认为，该交易是中国公司收购美国煤矿资产的首宗交易。

　　The Tennessee Conservative Union began airing an ad Tuesday that says lawmakers have failed to protect the state's scenic mountains and are allowing the 'Chinese to destroy our mountains and take our coal…the same folks who hold our debt.'

　　田纳西州保守派联盟(Tennessee Conservative Union)周二开始发布广告说，议员们未能保护该州的山区风光，允许中国人破坏我们的山脉，占据我们的煤矿，而这些中国人同时还持有美国的债券。

　　Friction over foreign investment isn't new and usually surfaces in struggling industries. In the 1980s, when the auto industry was laying off thousands of workers, ads targeted Japanese auto makers and urged consumers to boycott foreign-made products. Chinese efforts to invest in large U.S. companies, especially those tied to national security and critical technologies, have largely failed due to political and regulatory opposition, prompting Chinese investors to target smaller ones.

　　外国投资在美国引起摩擦并不新鲜，而且通常发生在处于困境中的产业。上世纪80年代，汽车行业裁掉了数千名工人，一些广告开始针对日本汽车制造商，并呼吁消费者抵制外国产品。中国投资大型美国公司(尤其是在与国家安全和关键技术有关的领域)的努力基本上都因为政治和监管上的反对而失败。中国投资者因此只能寻求投资美国规模较小的公司。

　　The Tennessee group, founded in 1977, has long opposed surface mining because it says the practice affects the property rights of hunters and fisherman, and can hurt the state's tourism industry by damaging mountain scenery that draw in tourists, according to chairman Lloyd Daugherty. This is the first time the group─which supports limited government and has opposed a push for a state income tax─has raised the issue of foreign investment.

　　创立于1977年的田纳西州保守派联盟的主席多尔蒂(Lloyd Daugherty)说，该组织一直反对露天采矿，因为这种作业不但损害了猎人和渔民的财产权，而且可能破坏该州吸引游客的山峦风光，进而影响该州的旅游业。这是田纳西州保守派联盟第一次提出有关外国投资的问题。该组织支持限制政府的权力，并曾反对过一项推动征收州所得税的行动。

　　'It's not right for the red Chinese to come in and take part of our heritage,' Mr. Daugherty said.

　　多尔蒂说，红色中国人进入田纳西州，夺取我们一部分的遗产，这是不应该的。

　　A bill, which would prohibit surface-mining operations from disturbing the ridge line at elevations of 2,000 or more, is scheduled for a vote by state lawmakers Wednesday. Similar efforts have failed in the past, but the new bill's sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson, said the ads and Chinese investment will have an impact.

　　按计划，周三州议会将对一项旨在防止露天采矿作业破坏海拔2,000英尺(约合600米)及以上的山脉的法案进行表决，类似的努力过去曾以失败告终，但是新法案的推动者、民主党人士、田纳西州的州众议员约翰逊(Gloria Johnson)说，广告的影响力加上中国的投资这件事，将会促使人们通过这一法案。