紐時賞析／川普將開放阿拉斯加荒野鑽探和採礦

Trump Administration to Open Alaska Wilderness to Drilling and Mining

川普將開放阿拉斯加荒野鑽探和採礦

The Trump administration said Monday that it planned to eliminate federal protections across millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness, a move that would allow drilling and mining in some of the last remaining pristine wilderness in the country.

川普政府周一表示，計畫取消對數百萬英畝阿拉斯加荒野的聯邦保護，這項舉措將允許在全美僅存最原始的荒野之一進行鑽油與採礦活動。

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Biden administration had exceeded its authority last year when it banned oil and gas drilling in more than half of the 9.2 million-hectare area, known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

內政部長柏根表示，拜登政府去年越權禁止在920萬公頃的阿拉斯加國家石油儲備區中一半以上區域進行石油和天然氣鑽探。

The proposed repeal is part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive agenda to “drill, baby, drill,” which calls for increased oil and gas extraction on public lands and the repeal of virtually all climate and environmental protections.

這項擬議中的撤銷計畫，是川普積極推動的「鑽吧，寶貝，鑽吧」政策的一環，主張在公共土地上擴大石油與天然氣開採，並幾乎撤銷所有氣候與環境保護措施。

“We’re restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track,” Burgum said in a statement.

「我們正在恢復平衡，並讓我們的能源未來重回正軌，」柏根在聲明中說。

The National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska is an ecologically sensitive expanse of land about 965  kilometers north of Anchorage, bounded by the Chukchi Sea to the west and the Beaufort Sea to the north. It is the largest single area of public land in the United States. It covers crucial habitat for grizzly bears, polar bears, caribou, thousands of migratory birds and other wildlife.

「阿拉斯加國家石油儲備區」是片生態敏感區，位於安克拉治以北約965公里，西臨楚科奇海，北接波弗特海。這裡是美國最大單一公共土地區域，涵蓋灰熊、北極熊、馴鹿、數千種候鳥及其他野生動物的重要棲地。

Created in the early 1900s, the reserves were originally envisioned as a fuel supply for the Navy in times of emergency. But in 1976, Congress authorized full commercial development of the federal land and ordered the government to balance oil drilling with conservation and wildlife protection.

該儲備區始於20世紀初，最初被設想為海軍在緊急時期的燃料供應來源。但到了1976年，國會授權對這片聯邦土地進行全面商業開發，並要求政府在石油鑽探與保育及野生動物保護之間取得平衡。

The announcement came as Burgum traveled to Alaska, accompanied by Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Chris Wright, the secretary of the Energy Department. The three were expected to encourage companies to drill in sensitive areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to support a liquefied natural gas pipeline in the state.

這項聲明是在柏根前往阿拉斯加州時發布的，陪同他的是環保署長李修頓和能源部長萊特。三人將鼓勵企業在北極國家野生動物保護區等敏感地區鑽探，並支持在該州建造液化天然氣管線。

Matt Jackson, the Alaska state senior manager at The Wilderness Society, an environmental group, called the repeal of environmental protections an outrage.

環境團體「荒野協會」阿拉斯加州資深經理傑克森稱，廢除環境保護措施「令人憤慨」。

“This move will accelerate the climate crisis at a time when the ground beneath Alaska communities is literally melting away and subsistence foods are in decline,” Jackson said.

傑克森說：「這項舉措將加速氣候危機，而此時阿拉斯加社區下的土地實際上正在融化，賴以為生的糧食正在減少。」

文／Lisa Friedman　譯／羅方妤