Is This How We Rediscover California’s Forgotten Oil Age—Under Someone’s Living Room?

谁曾想，加利福尼亚被遗忘的石油时代，竟在某人客厅地板下重现？

www.ocregister.com

Picture this: It’s 2024, and we’re drilling through a neighborhood in Newport Beach—not for science, not for progress, but to plug a hole from the 1920s that’s been quietly leaking oil and methane under someone’s house since August. And now, thanks to a stubborn cast-iron pipe, we’re stuck like a dentist trying to extract a vertical wisdom tooth with chopsticks.

想象一下：现在是2024年，我们在纽波特海滩的一个居民区钻探——不是为了科研，也不是为了发展，而是要堵上一个自八月起就在某人房子底下悄悄泄漏石油和甲烷的1920年代油井。而如今，因为一根顽固的铸铁管道，我们就像一个牙医用筷子拔垂直阻生智齿，进退两难。

City officials admit the fix could take another two weeks. Meanwhile, oil, methane, and hydrogen sulfide—yes, the gas that smells like rotten eggs—continue to seep, and seven homes have been evacuated. This isn’t climate fiction. This is what happens when we abandon infrastructure and pretend the ground beneath us is inert.

市政官员承认修复可能还需两周。与此同时，石油、甲烷和硫化氢——没错，就是那种闻起来像臭鸡蛋的气体——仍在持续渗漏，七户家庭已被疏散。这并非气候幻想小说。这正是当我们遗弃基础设施、并假装脚下的土地毫无反应时，会发生的事。

Retired Oil Rig Worker from Texas (一位来自德州的退休钻井工人)

Look, I get it—cast iron from the 1920s wasn’t built to modern specs, but if you can’t angle the drill, you’re not using enough lateral thinking. I’d reroute the drill path or use a redirected lateral bore. This isn’t rocket science, it’s basic petroleum recovery 101.

听着，我理解——1920年代的铸铁管本就没按现代标准建造，但如果你无法调整钻头角度，那说明你缺乏横向思维。我会重新规划钻探路径，或采用定向侧钻。这又不是造火箭，只是石油回收的基础课。

Homeowner with Sleep Deprivation (一位严重失眠的房主)

Meanwhile, I’m sleeping with earplugs and blackout curtains because of the 24/7 drilling lights and generator noise. I wasn’t just evacuated from my home—I was evicted by incompetence.

而我，因为全天候的钻探灯光和发电机噪音，只能靠耳塞和遮光窗帘入睡。我不仅是被从家里疏散，更是被无能赶出了家门。

Climate Historian & Urban Planner (气候历史学家兼城市规划师)

This forgotten well is a symptom of a much larger disease: America’s tens of thousands of orphaned wells, many from the early 20th century. We built on top of history without capping its consequences. Now the past is literally bubbling up beneath our feet.

这口被遗忘的油井，是更大病症的一个征兆：美国数以万计的弃置油井，许多来自20世纪初。我们建造在历史之上，却未封存其后果。如今，过去正从我们脚下真实地冒泡涌出。

Local Small Business Owner Losing Customers (一位流失顾客的本地小商家)

The rig’s been here a month, and foot traffic’s dropped 60%. People avoid the area like it’s Chernobyl. We’re not just dealing with noise—we’re dealing with stigma.

钻井平台在这儿一个月了，客流量下降了60%。人们像躲切尔诺贝利一样避开这片区域。我们不只是在应付噪音——我们还在应付污名。

Environmental Lawyer (一名环境律师)

Once the well is sealed, the real fight begins: who pays? The homeowner? The original oil company that vanished in 1953? Or the public, through taxpayer-funded ‘orphan well abatement’ programs?

一旦油井被封住，真正的战斗才刚开始：谁来买单？是房主？是1953年就消失的原始石油公司？还是通过纳税人资助的‘弃置油井治理项目’由公众埋单？

Retired Oil Rig Worker from Texas (一位来自德州的退休钻井工人)

To the homeowner: I hear you. But the noise will stop. What won’t stop is the oil if we rush this. Patience isn’t a luxury—it’s a safety requirement.

致房主：我理解你的感受。但噪音终会停止。而如果我们仓促行事，石油的泄漏却不会停止。耐心不是奢侈——而是安全的必需。

Climate Historian & Urban Planner (气候历史学家兼城市规划师)

Exactly. And let’s be clear: this isn’t just ‘bad luck.’ It’s the predictable result of decades of deregulation and deferred maintenance. We didn’t forget this well. We chose to ignore it—until it broke the surface.

没错。而且要明确一点：这不只是‘倒霉’。它是数十年去监管化和推迟维护的必然结果。我们并非忘记了这口油井。而是选择忽视它——直到它冒头为止。

Sarcastic Millennial Renter (一名毒舌千禧租客)

So California’s latest natural disaster is… vintage infrastructure? At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if my avocado toast came with a side of methane.

所以加州最新的自然灾害是……复古版基础设施？到这地步，就算我的牛油果吐司附赠一份甲烷，我也不会惊讶。

Is This How We Rediscover California’s Forgotten Oil Age—Under Someone’s Living Room?

谁曾想，加利福尼亚被遗忘的石油时代，竟在某人客厅地板下重现？

当清理一艘漏油的废弃船要花10.5万美元时，这真的是我们2025年该用纳税人的钱干的事吗？

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