美國政府批准殼牌在北極水域採油
WASHingTON — The Obama administration Monday gave conditional approval to allow Shell Gulf of Mexico to start drilling for oil off the Alaskan coast this summer, a major victory for the petroleum industry and a devastating blow to environmentalists.
華盛頓——週一，奧巴馬政府有條件地批准了殼牌墨西哥灣公司(Shell Gulf of Mexico)今年夏天開始在阿拉斯加海岸開採石油，這對於石油產業是個重大勝利，但對於環保人士卻是個災難性打擊。
The decision adds a complex new chapter to the environmental legacy of President Barack Obama, who has pursued the most ambitious environmental agenda of any president but has sought to balance those moves by opening up untouched federal waters to new oil and gas drilling.
這個決定給奧巴馬總統在環境方面的政治遺產增添了一個複雜的新篇章。奧巴馬推行的環境政策是歷屆總統中力度最大的，但他也尋求開放尚未開發過的聯邦水域，開展新的油氣開發項目，來平衡這些舉動。Shell has sought for years to drill in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean's Chukchi Sea. Federal scientists believe the region could hold up to 15 billion barrels of oil.
多年來，殼牌一直希望能在北冰洋楚科奇海的冰冷水域進行開採活動。聯邦政府的科學家認爲，該區域的石油儲量可高達150億桶。
The Interior Department decision angered environmentalists who for years have demanded that the administration reject offshore Arctic drilling proposals. They fear that a drilling accident in the treacherous Arctic waters could have far more devastating consequences than the deadly Gulf of Mexico spill of 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion killed 11 men and sent millions of barrels of oil spewing into the water.
內政部(Interior Department)的決定讓環保人士倍感憤怒。多年來，他們一直要求政府駁回在北極水域開採石油的提議。他們擔心，倘若情況複雜的北極水域發生開採事故，就會產生比2010年墨西哥灣的嚴重漏油事故更爲慘重的後果。當時，深水地平線(Deepwater Horizon)鑽井平臺的爆炸共導致11人死亡，並致使數百萬桶原油泄漏到了水中。Both industry and environmental groups say that the Chukchi Sea is one of the most dangerous places in the world to drill. The area is extremely remote, with no roads connecting to major cities or deepwater ports within hundreds of miles, making it difficult for cleanup and rescue workers to reach in case of an accident.
石油產業和環保組織都表示，楚科奇海是世界上開採起來最危險的區域之一。那片水域非常偏遠，數百英里之內，沒有連接大城市或深水港口的道路，所以一旦發生事故，清理工作將很難開展，救援工作者也將難以到達。The closest Coast Guard station with equipment for responding to a spill is more than 1,000 miles away. The weather is extreme, with major storms, icy waters and waves up to 50 feet high. The sea is also a major migration route and feeding area for marine mammals, including bowhead whales and walruses.
距離那裏最近的配有應對泄漏事故所需設備的海岸警衛隊(Coast Guard)工作站也遠在1000多英里之外。那裏氣候極端，常有大風暴，海水冰冷，海浪可高達50英尺（約合15米）。這片海域也是弓頭鯨和海象等海洋哺乳動物的重要洄游路線。The move came just four months after the Obama administration opened up a portion of the Atlantic Coast to new offshore drilling.
僅四個月前，奧巴馬政府纔剛剛開放了大西洋沿岸的一片水域，用於新的海上開採項目。
