美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Push For 'Energy Dominance' Boosts Drilling On Public Land

Trump¹ Push For 'Energy Dominance' Boosts Drilling On Public Land

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

In parts of the West, the Trump administration is opening up millions of acres of public land to oil and gas leases. That's fueling a drilling boom in places like Wyoming. Cooper McKim of Wyoming Public Radio and NPR's energy and environment team reports.

(SOUNDBITE OF BEEPING)

COOPER MCKIM, BYLINE²: An 18-wheeler spins its tires through snowy mud on an undeveloped well pad in Wyoming's Powder River Basin. In the bitter morning cold, workers in black overalls³ and face masks move gravel⁴ where oil tanks will soon stand.

PETER WOLD: So we're sitting, getting ready to drill a well on this five-acre pad here.

MCKIM: That's Peter Wold, CEO of Wold Energy Partners. He's been investing heavily in the Powder River Basin. Applications to begin drilling have increased over 400 percent in the past five years.

WOLD: Our phone has been ringing off the hook as far as people that want a joint⁵ venture with us.

MCKIM: Wold says this wide, open land is now filling up with trucks kicking up dirt on new roads.

WOLD: But now there's an extreme amount of interest and activity. I would call it a preboom. Absolutely.

MCKIM: Analysts⁶ say a perfect storm is making the country's largest coal state favorable for oil and gas. Carl Larry's with the financial consulting firm Refinitiv in Houston and advises oil and gas companies. He says one major factor has been the improvement of fracking technology. Wells can extract a lot more oil and gas than they used to from the same land.

CARL LARRY: It's made it economical. But it's made it more efficient. And I think that's where we start seeing the results in profitability.

MCKIM: Another big factor is the vast expanse of cheap land here - some as little as $2 an acre. Larry says, in Texas, land is expensive. And there's a lot more competition. In Wyoming...

LARRY: We're looking at places that are not so crowded - untouched fields. And that's, I think, what people are most interested in.

MCKIM: The Trump administration has made more of that land available. Federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management - or BLM - have streamlined the leasing process while multiplying the amount of acreage available.

LARRY: I think that makes a big difference here. And you're making it easy. It's not like there's a lot of red tape or a lot of, you know, documents and paperwork to sign.

MCKIM: But all this has been met with fierce resistance from environmental groups.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOOR CLOSING)

MCKIM: Connie Wilbert is with Wyoming's Sierra Club. She says the new leasing could undermine years of work protecting sage⁷ grouse⁸, mule⁹ deer and pronghorn antelope¹⁰ - all of which rely on Wyoming's untouched lands for migration¹¹, breeding and grazing. She pulls out a large map...

(SOUNDBITE OF ZIPPER¹² UNZIPPING)

MCKIM: ...And shows there are new leases right in the state's mule deer migration corridor - the longest in the world.

CONNIE WILBERT: If these leases are all developed or even a substantial portion of them are developed, it will devastate¹³ all of those wildlife values.

MCKIM: Other environmental groups have launched legal challenges. Wilbert worries the Trump administration is putting energy first before all else.

WILBERT: I think it's really important to remember that these are public lands. They belong to the people of the United States - not just in Wyoming but throughout the whole country.

MCKIM: The Trump administration says it is taking environmental concerns into account. All these oil and gas leases are a boon¹⁴ to the state. So far this year, they brought in more than $47 million. And more will come once they start producing.

(SOUNDBITE OF TRUCK ENGINE IDLING)

MCKIM: Back on his well pad, Peter Wold thinks industry can thrive here without hurting wildlife. He points to a nearby meadow where a herd¹⁵ of pronghorn antelope mix with cattle. There are wind turbines in the background.

WOLD: We love this area. And the last thing in the world that we want to do is mess it up.

MCKIM: Wold expects to start extracting oil and gas in February - the same month the BLM plans to auction¹⁶ off over 700,000 more acres of public land here. For NPR News, I'm Cooper McKim in Casper, Wyo.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 overalls   

n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣

参考例句：

• He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。
• He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤，换上了一套西服。

4 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

8 grouse   

n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦

参考例句：

• They're shooting grouse up on the moors.他们在荒野射猎松鸡。
• If you don't agree with me,please forget my grouse.如果你的看法不同，请不必介意我的牢骚之言。

9 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

10 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。

11 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

12 zipper   

n.拉链；v.拉上拉链

参考例句：

• The zipper is red.这条拉链是红色的。
• The zipper is a wonderful invention.拉链是个了不起的发明。

13 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。

14 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

15 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

16 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。