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Russia's Bid for Arctic Energy

A new Klondike may be waiting at the top of the world, where geologists believe a quarter of the globe's undiscovered oil and natural gas lies trapped within the rock strata underneath the Arctic Ocean. It's a trove of energy wealth that sits unexplored, a bonanza being readied for a rush of claims.

In St. Petersburg, scientists are working to prove that most of that energy is rightfully Russia's. If geologists at the Russian Research Institute are right, the Kremlin could add as many as 10 billion tons of Arctic oil and natural gas to reserves that already make Russian one of the world's .

Washington worries

Russia's eagerness to secure the rights to Arctic energy worries many policymakers in Washington. They argue that the United States is powerless to intervene while it remains mired in a 13-year debate over ratification of a United Nations (UN) treaty governing international maritime rights. That pact, the Law of the Sea Treaty, is viewed as the primary means of settling disputes over rights and routes in international waters. Russia and 152 other nations have ratified the treaty.

John Norton Moore, former U.S. treaty negotiator, says the United States risks being left on the sidelines if it doesn't ratify the treaty. Ratification is needed if the United States wants the right to claim its own the Alaskan coastline, and to have a say on the commission that reviews claims such as Russia's.

Addressing a concern of U.S. lawmakers, Moored stated, "There's nothing in the treaty that removes sovereignty. To the contrary, it creates a greater extension of resource rights into the ocean." He argues that treaty ratification achieves the opposite of concession: It sets the stage for the United States to expand its jurisdiction over ocean resources. If the United States doesn't ratify the treaty, Russia's bid for the Arctic's energy wealth will probably go unchallenged.

Vocabulary Focus

mired in (adj phr)--- to be involved in a difficult situation, especially for a long period of time

be left on the sidelines (idiom)--- to be kept from taking an active part in something

set the stage for (something) (idiom)--- to make conditions advantageous for something to happen

Specialized terms

Klondike (n)--- 克朗岱克区 an area in northwestern Canada that was the site of a gold rush which began in 1897 and lasted for more than 10 years

strata (pl.n.)--- 层；地层 layers into which something is separated

Kremlin (n) --- 克里姆林宫 a name given to the Russian government

international maritime rights (n. phr) --- 国际海事权益 that which is due a nation as a result of an agreement made according to international law relating to local or international waters