to judge whether or not the economic benefits

判断一件事的经济利益是否
are outweighing what the environmental harm might be?

大于可能产生的环境危害
Should they have the authority to do that?

环保署应该有这样的权力吗
So if you adopt a utilitarian standard

如果你采用一种功利的标准
that's cost-benefit balancing or say risk-benefit balancing,

平衡成本和效益或者是平衡风险和利益
then you're basically giving the agency a lot of discretion

那你其实就赋予了环保署很大的裁量权
to do their technical analysis and to try to figure out

让他们去做技术分析
how to go through that balancing act.

考虑怎样达到这种平衡
That gives them a lot of authority.

他们就有了很多的权力
As opposed to setting statutory criteria,

这和设定法律标准是不同的
saying, "The risk shall not be greater than X,"

其规定"风险不能超过某个程度"
say, cancer risks should not be greater than one in a million.

如得癌症的几率不能超过百万分之一