紐時賞析／川普批准阿拉斯加荒野鑽油 多年爭議再起

Trump Opens Pristine Alaska Wilderness to Drilling in Long-Running Feud

川普批准阿拉斯加荒野鑽油 多年爭議再起

The Trump administration on Thursday announced a plan to allow oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest remaining tracts of pristine wilderness in the United States.

川普政府周四宣布，計畫允許在阿拉斯加北極國家野生動物保護區進行石油與天然氣開採。該地是美國境內僅存最大、尚未受破壞的原始荒野之一。

The decision was the latest twist in a long-running fight over the fate of the refuge’s coastal plain, an unspoiled expanse of 1.56 million acres that is believed to sit atop billions of barrels of oil but is also a critical habitat for polar bears, caribou, migratory birds and other wildlife.

這項決定為多年來圍繞保護區命運的爭議再添新章。這片未受迫化的土地面積達156萬英畝，據信蘊藏數十億桶原油，同時也是北極熊、馴鹿、候鳥與其他野生動物的重要棲地。

During his first term, President Donald Trump signed a 2017 tax bill that required two oil and gas lease sales in the coastal plain, but the Biden administration later suspended and then canceled those leases.

川普在第一任期內於2017年簽署稅改法案，要求在沿海平原舉行兩次石油與天然氣租約拍賣，但拜登政府上任後先暫停，後又取消這些租約。

On Thursday, the Interior Department said it would hold an oil and gas lease sale in the coastal plain this winter. The agency also said it would reinstate seven oil leases in the refuge that the state of Alaska acquired in 2021 but that had been canceled two years later by the Biden administration.

內政部周四表示，將於今冬在沿海平原舉行新的石油與天然氣租約拍賣，並恢復阿拉斯加州於2021年取得、後被拜登政府於兩年後撤銷的七份租約。

“This land should and will be supporting responsible oil and gas leasing,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said during an “Alaska Day” event at the Interior Department’s headquarters, which came even as many Interior employees were furloughed during the ongoing government shutdown.

內政部長柏根在內政部本部舉行的「阿拉斯加日」活動上表示：「這片土地應該、也將繼續支持負責任的石油與天然氣租賃。」這場活動舉行時，政府因停擺已有多名內政部員工被迫休假。

Burgum also announced that the Interior Department had finalized a deal that would allow a contentious gravel road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska. And he reiterated that the agency would greenlight an industrial road that would cut through pristine wilderness to reach a proposed copper and zinc mine in northern Alaska.

柏根並宣布，內政部已敲定一項協議，允許在阿拉斯加西南部的伊曾貝克國家野生動物保護區內修建一條具爭議的碎石道路。他同時重申，內政部將批准另條貫穿原始荒野、通往阿拉斯加北部擬建銅鋅礦的工業道路。

Trump has repeatedly promised to increase Arctic drilling as part of his plans to expand U.S. oil and gas production and achieve “American energy dominance.”

川普一再承諾，將擴大北極地區的鑽油行動，作為推動美國能源生產、實現「美國主導能源」計畫一部分。

Yet major oil companies have previously shown little interest in drilling in the refuge, largely because of the great expense and some concerns about public relations. It remains unclear whether they will bid in the upcoming auction.

然而，大型石油公司過去對在該保護區鑽探興趣不高，主因是成本過高及形象風險。目前尚不清楚它們是否會參與將舉行的租賃競標。

Adding to these challenges, some major banks have committed to not finance drilling in the refuge. And environmental groups are expected to file lawsuits to try to block the lease sale.

雪上加霜的是，部分大型銀行已承諾不為該區的鑽探活動提供融資。環保團體也預料將提起訴訟，試圖阻止租約拍賣。

“We will fight any attempt to industrialize the fragile coastal plain of the Arctic refuge and every option is on the table,” said Kristen Miller, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League.

阿拉斯加荒野聯盟執行長克莉絲汀・米勒表示：「我們將全力抵抗任何試圖將北極保護區脆弱沿海平原工業化的行動。」

文／Maxine Joselow，譯／江昱蓁