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  3. A US Energy Department report calls for incentives to boost coal-fired and nuclear power plants following a stream of closures t

A US Energy Department report calls for incentives to boost coal-fired and nuclear power plants following a stream of closures t

admin2018-03-26  25
问题    A US Energy Department report calls for incentives to boost coal-fired and nuclear power plants following a stream of closures that it said undermined reliable sources of electricity. The findings of the study, released late on Wednesday, drew scorn from renewable energy advocates but praise from the coal and nuclear industries. The report dovetails with(与......相吻合)President Donald Trump’s promise to revive the ailing mining sector. But it differs from conclusions presented in an earlier draft, which had said big increases in renewable power generation remained possible without undermining grid reliability. The administration had not yet reviewed the early draft, which was written by department staff.
   Energy Secretary Rick Perry commissioned the study in April to evaluate whether "regulatory burdens" imposed by past administrations, including that of former President Barack Obama, had hurt the grid by forcing shutdowns of baseload(基本负载)plants, which provide nonstop power, like those fired by coal and nuclear fuel. Obama had introduced a number of regulations intended to slash emissions of carbon dioxide, which are blamed for climate change. This accelerated the retirement of coal-fired power plants and bolstered the newly-developed solar and wind sectors, which depend heavily on weather conditions for their power output.
   " It is apparent that in today’s competitive markets certain regulations and subsidies are having a large impact on the functioning of markets, and thereby challenging our power generation mix," Perry said in a letter introducing the study. " It is important for policy makers to consider their intended and unintended effects. "
   The study, conducted by the department’s staff, said cheap natural gas was the main driver of the closure of baseload coal and nuclear plants, a trend that was putting areas of the country at greater risk of power outages. The department recommended giving baseload plants pricing advantages for their power, as well as making it easier and cheaper to get permits to build more such projects.
   Howard Crystal, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity which advocates for clean energy, called the recommendations "dangerously misguided". "The reality is that we can protect our planet and our energy supplies by embracing wind and solar," he said.
   Some coal and nuclear energy groups welcomed the final report’s findings. " This is a much-needed, pragmatic look at US electricity reliability and resilience(复原力), including the priority of maintaining critical clean baseload power as electricity markets change," said Rich Powell, director of ClearPath, which advocates for nuclear and hydropower. Last week, Neil Chatterjee, the newly appointed chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said coal plants needed to be "properly compensated to recognize the value they provide to the system. "
The debate between supporters and opponents of the report focuses on______.
选项 A、whether clean power plants should be prioritized
B、whether baseload plants should be compensated
C、whether traditional energy industry should be boosted
D、whether administrative means should be applied
答案C
解析 事实细节题。本题考查能源部报告的支持者和反对者双方争论的焦点。通过梳理，可知首段前半部分和第四段提到的美国能源部的新近报告、第二和第三段中能源大臣佩里的看法以及最后一段中煤炭和核能集团的观点都是赞成对传统电厂给予支持与鼓励，而反对派的观点则集中在第五段，代表性的看法是风能和太阳能既能满足能源供应，也能保护环境，因此反对再次复兴传统电厂，可见双方争议的焦点为是否应该支持传统电厂，故答案为C)。A)“是否应该优先发展清洁能源电厂”和D)“是否应该使用行政手段”都只是文中出现的细节信息，故排除；B)“是否应该补偿基荷发电厂”，补偿只是支持的一种手段，该项范围过窄，不能概括双方观点，故排除。
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