紐時賞析／共和黨又想賣國有地 面積達數百萬英畝

川普「又大又美法案」包含一份出售數百萬英畝聯邦土地的計劃。路透

G.O.P. Revives Plan to Sell Public Land for Housing

共和黨又想賣國有地 面積數百萬英畝

Senate Republicans are resurrecting a plan to sell millions of acres of federal lands as part of President Donald Trump’s giant tax and spending bill, setting up a fight within the party.

美國聯邦參議院共和黨籍議員正在重啓出售數百萬英畝聯邦土地的計劃，當作總統川普龐大減稅和支出法案的配套，勢將引發內訌。

The proposal would require the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to identify and sell between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public lands across 11 Western states to build housing.

該提議將要求土地管理局和美國林務局確認並出售橫跨美西11州共220萬至330萬英畝的公有地以興建住宅。

Past efforts to auction off public land have enraged conservationists and have also proved contentious with some Republicans. A smaller proposal to sell around 500,000 acres of federal land in Utah and Nevada was stripped from the House version of the tax bill last month after opposition from Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., a former interior secretary.

先前拍賣公有土地的做法激怒了保育人士，也在一些共和黨員間引發爭論。一項規模較小的提議，也就是出售猶他州和內華達州共50萬英畝的聯邦土地，遭前內政部長、共和黨籍聯邦衆議員辛基反對後，在上月從衆院版本的稅務法案中被刪除。

“This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands,” Zinke said last month. “Once the land is sold, we will never get it back.”

辛基上月說：「這是我的聖胡安山（譯註：美西戰爭重大戰役）；我不支持大規模出售或移轉公有土地。一旦賣出就再也拿不回來。」

The new plan to sell public lands was included in draft legislation issued Wednesday by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that is part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” The draft envisions raising as much as $10 billion by selling land for housing in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming over the next five years.

新的公有土地出售計劃被納入參院能源和自然資源委員會週三發佈的法案草案，是川普「又大又美法案」的一部分。這份草案期望在未來5年內，藉由銷售阿拉斯加州、亞利桑那州、加州、科羅拉多州、愛達荷州、內華達州、新墨西哥州、俄勒岡州、猶他州、華盛頓州和懷俄明州住宅用地，籌措資金高達100億美元。

Notably, Zinke’s home state of Montana was left off the list.

值得注意的是，辛基的家鄉蒙大拿州沒被列入名單。

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who leads the energy committee, said the move would turn “federal liabilities into taxpayer value, while making housing more affordable for hardworking American families.”

領導參院能源委員會的共和黨籍猶他州聯邦參議員麥克．李稱，這項舉措將「把聯邦債務轉化爲納稅人的錢，同時興建讓努力工作的美國家庭更能負擔的住宅」。

The draft legislation requires that the public lands be sold “for the development of housing or to address associated community needs,” and gives the secretaries of interior and agriculture leeway to define that.

這項草案要求被出售的公有土地「用於住宅開發和處理關於社區的需求」，並給予內政部長和農業部長定義這一用途的自由裁量權。

A fact sheet issued by the committee said that the two federal agencies would be selling between 0.5% and 0.75% of their holdings, which amount to roughly 438 million acres, and would prioritize land within 5 miles of existing population centers. The bill would exempt national parks, national monuments and designated wilderness areas.

委員會發布的情況說明書表示，這兩個聯邦機構將出售其持有的約4.38億英畝土地中的0.5%至0.75%，並優先考慮現有人口中心5英里範圍內的土地。該法案將排除國家公園、國家紀念碑和畫定荒野區域。

Environmental groups denounced the proposal.

環保團體譴責這項提案。

“This is a shameless ploy to sell off pristine public lands for trophy homes and gated communities that will do nothing to address the affordable housing shortage in the West,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group.

環保倡議團體「西部優先中心」執行董事珍妮佛．羅卡拉表示：「這是個無恥的花招，出售原始土地興建豪宅和封閉社區，無助於處理美國西部可負擔住宅短缺問題。」

文／Brad Plumer，譯／羅方妤

延伸閱讀