數學 | 政治 | 英語| 專碩
Environmental policy
環保政策
Reefer madness
珊瑚礁化狂熱
Turning oil rigs reefs saves money and marinelife. Yet many greens oppose it
石油鑽塔變成群礁，既可以省錢，又可以拯救海洋生命。然而，許多綠色環保人士依舊反對這項舉措
WHEN an offshore well stops producing oil, what should be done with the rig? One option is tohaul it ashore, break it up and recycle it. This is expensive. For a big, deep-water oil or gasplatform, it can cost $200m. Just hiring a derrick barge massive enough to do the job cancost $700,000 a day. But there is an alternative: simply leave most of the structure where itis. That is what you would expect a greedy oil firm to do: despoil the ocean just to save a lousyfew million dollars. The surprise is, the cheap option may actually be greener.
當海上油井停止產油，那我們該怎樣處置鑽塔呢?其中一個做法就是將其拉上岸，分解再重新循環利用。但其費用昂貴。一個大型的深海石油或天然氣平臺大約花費2億美金。租一艘井架駁船就足夠，其費用為每天70萬美元。還有另外一個選擇：放任其不管。而那樣做的只會是貪婪的石油公司，他們打劫海洋，省下幾百萬。然而，讓人吃驚的是，最便宜的選擇也許是最環保的。
For a start, it takes a lot of energy to move a rig. The ships that would be needed to shiftCalifornia's largest one would emit 29,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide, by one estimate. Andmoving a rig disturbs the organisms that have attached themselves to its underside, or jacket.Far better, some say, to turn old rigs coral reefs.
一開始，要移除鑽塔需要費很大力氣。若想要動加州最大的鑽塔，那麼運輸船在這個過程中預估會釋放出2.94萬噸二氧化碳。而且，移動鑽塔會影響附著在塔周圍的有機體。若要全面考慮的話，有些人認為應該把老的鑽塔轉換成珊瑚礁。
「Reefing」 typically involves bringing a platform's above-water parts ashore and cropping thelower parts to leave at least 26m of clearance: deep enough for ships to pass over, yet shallowenough for photosynthesis to nourish organisms on its upper reaches (see picture). Oil-rigreefs may shelter and feed up to eight tonnes of fish. In 2009 Shell moved a jacket in the Gulfof Mexico ten kilometres (six miles) away. The fish followed.
「珊瑚礁化」過程往往涵蓋了把石油平臺水上的部分拉上岸以及保證水下部分26米的空隙，這樣方便船隻通過，但對滋潤生物的光合作用空間卻依然不夠(詳情見圖)。石油鑽塔珊瑚礁可以給高達8噸的魚群提供庇護以及食物。2009年，謝爾把位於墨西哥灣的鑽塔挪了大概6米，魚群也跟著移動了。
More than 490 platforms in American waters have become reefs in the past three decades. Thefederal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement urges states to issue reefing permits.State coffers gain: oil firms typically hand over half the money they save by reefing.
在過去的三十年間，美國海域裡超過490個石油鑽井平臺已經轉變成珊瑚礁了。美國聯邦安全和環境執法局督促各州「珊瑚礁化」。國庫增加，而且石油公司往往可以從「珊瑚礁化」中直接獲得超過一半的錢。
Those savings vary greatly. Small platforms in shallow waters can often be removed for $10m,but sometimes for as little as $1m, according to DecomWorld, a consultancy. But for stateswith lots of offshore oil rigs, the windfalls soon add up. Mississippi pocketed an average of$625,000 for each of the 12 permits it has issued, according to Melissa Scallan of the state'sDepartment of Marine Resources. Louisiana's take has averaged $270,000 per reefing—and thestate has seen 336 of them, says Mike McDonough of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife andFisheries.
從「珊瑚礁化」中省下的錢數目各不相同。在淺水海域，小鑽井平臺所需費用大概是1億美元，有時候也可能只要100萬美元。這些數據來源於DecomWorld顧問公司。但是，擁有的海上鑽塔數量越多，就越能大發橫財。國家海洋能源局梅麗莎提供信息，表明在12個鑽塔中，密西西比州能從中平均每一個鑽塔獲得62.5萬美元。來自路易斯安那野生動物與漁業局的麥克認為，該州平均從每個珊瑚礁獲利27萬美元，而且目前已經發現了336座珊瑚礁。
Currently, less than a tenth of America's old oil and gas platforms are reefed. Sometimes thereasons for this are practical. For example, platforms may be removed if waiting for a permitmeans weathering another hurricane season (in 2005 150 defunct platforms in the Gulf ofMexico were toppled by winds and waves). Operators typically favour reefing but it is not alwayseconomical or allowed, says David Welch of Stone Energy Corporation. The firm has onlyreefed 12 of the 60 Gulf of Mexico platforms it has decommissioned.
在美國，不到十分之一的老天然氣和石油平臺珊瑚化。理由往往很現實。比如，平臺只要能熬過颶風季節，那麼才有可能移除(在2005年，位於墨西哥灣的150座廢棄平臺被海風海浪摧毀)。能源公司的大衛·威爾士認為，經營商特別支持「珊瑚礁化」，但是，這樣做往往不划算而且也不合法。該公司目前也才將墨西哥灣60座退役平臺中的12座「珊瑚礁化」。
That share is likely to grow. Within five years oil firms will be reefing one offshore rig in four,predicts Quenton Dokken of the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, a conservation group. Gulf states,particularly Louisiana and Texas, are making 「a big push」 to streamline the permitting process,he says.
這中趨勢有可能會增加，墨西哥灣基地的Quenton模擬，在五年內，石油公司將能把四分之一的海上鑽井平臺「珊瑚礁化」。海灣各州，特別是路易斯安那州和德州，正在努力簡化審批流程。
Far bigger savings are possible in the deep waters off California. Four years ago the GoldenState passed a law allowing reefing. Operators are loth to estimate costs publicly, but theTulane University Energy Institute reckons that reefing the state's 27 platforms could save $2billion. A platform or two could be retired as early as next year, though rising oil prices maymean they keep pumping longer.
在遠離加州海岸線的深水區裡，省下的錢或許會更多。四年前，加州通過了一項允許「珊瑚化」的法律。經營商並不願意公開費用，但是杜蘭大學能源學院認為，將該州27個鑽井平臺「珊瑚礁化」能夠省下20億美元。儘管上升的油價會迫使鑽井平臺產生更多價值，但其中有1-2個平臺最早在明年就會停止使用。
The California Ocean Science Trust, a research group that has advised lawmakers, thinks thatplatforms increase marine life and should not all be removed. Skyli McAfee, the group'sdirector, describes this conclusion as 「a big fat duh」. Studies by Milton Love, a marinebiologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, support it. Oil platforms serve as「excellent nursery grounds」 that boost fish populations, he says. The bocaccio, a rockfishwhose numbers are worrying fishing authorities, is one big beneficiary.