特朗普政府于周四宣布，将部分北极地区的石油和天然气勘探活动免除环境评估。
The Trump administration on Thursday announced it would exempt some Arctic oil and gas exploration activities from environmental reviews.
美国内政部发布通知，将阿拉斯加国家石油储备区冬季的石油和天然气勘探活动免除环境评估。
The Interior Department issued a notice exempting wintertime oil and gas exploration in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska from the reviews.
此次豁免适用于用于确定石油位置的地震勘探、临时道路建设以及勘探井钻探等活动。这些活动通常是为更大规模的石油生产做准备。
The exemption will apply to seismic surveys to assess where oil is located, construction of temporary roads and drilling of exploration wells. These activities are often pursued in preparation for broader-scale oil production.
美国政府表示，此举最终可能帮助石油公司更快地获取燃料。同时指出，过去的相关评估显示，此类活动不会对环境造成重大影响。
The administration says that its action could ultimately help oil companies access fuel more quickly. It also said that in the past, it has found that such activities would not have a significant environmental impact.
美国土地管理局阿拉斯加州局长凯文·彭德加斯在一份书面声明中表示，此举将“让开发方能够更灵活地在石油储备区定位能源资源，最终增加国内能源供应，稳定能源成本，并为阿拉斯加社区和美国公众创造更多收入”。然而，环保活动人士批评了这一举措。
Bureau of Land Management Alaska State Director Kevin Pendergast said in a written statement that it would “allow developers to more nimbly locate energy resources in the Petroleum Reserve, ultimately increasing domestic energy supply, leading to stable energy costs and more revenue for Alaskan communities and the American public.”However, environmental activists criticized the maneuver.
地球正义组织律师珍妮特·贝林在一份书面声明中称：“通过发布这一全面豁免，本届政府试图在没有任何进一步环境分析或公众意见征询的情况下，加速大规模石油钻探和地震勘探。这使公众被排除在这一决定以及未来的决策之外。”此前，该政府还曾提议加快该储备区的石油生产进程。
“In issuing this categorical exclusion, this administration is seeking to fast track large scale oil drilling and seismic exploration without any further environmental analysis or public input,” said Earthjustice Attorney Janet Bering in a written statement. “It is cutting the public out of this decision and future decisions.”The move comes after the administration also recently proposed to fast-track oil production in the reserve.
1923年，时任总统沃伦·哈定将阿拉斯加国家石油储备区划为海军的紧急石油储备。此后，该区域虽已批准多个钻探项目，但环保倡导者也一直对可能给野生动物带来的影响表示担忧。
In 1923, then-President Warren Harding set aside the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska as an emergency oil supply for the Navy. Since that time, drilling projects have been approved there, but environmental advocates have also raised concerns about impacts to wildlife.
阿拉斯加石油和天然气协会对这一举措表示欢迎，并在一份书面声明中称：“我们……感谢内政部以及本届政府推动了这项合乎常理的行动。”
The Alaska Oil and Gas Association cheered the move, saying in a written statement “We…thank the Department of the Interior and the administration for moving this common-sense action forward.”