关于NPR：NPR是National Public Radio，即美国国家公共之声。该台节目较为公正，锐利，具有很强的思想性。新闻稿写作工整，用词固定和地道，书面化很强，非常值得大家认真学习。播音员发音纯正，平缓。

简介：Natural gas is much cleaner than coal. But some energy analysts say an overabundance of the fuel could depress development in even cleaner energy sources like wind and solar power. Above, a rig in Washington, Pa., drills into shale rock to extract natural gas.

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Richard Harris
Henry Jacoby
MIT
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Now, we're going to explore the impact of cheap natural gas in the U.S. The boom in natural gas is a good thing for the environment. That's because, relatively, clean gas is replacing dirty coal-fired power plants. In the long run, though, cheap natural gas could slow the growth of even cleaner sources of energy, such as wind and solar power. NPR's Richard Harris explains. The process of fracking for natural gas has stirred a lot of local opposition. But many people looking at cheap gas from the global perspective see it as a good thing. Henry Jacoby at MIT says cheap energy will help pump up the economy. Overall, this is a great boon to the United States. It's not a bad thing to have this new and available domestic resource. But we have to keep our eye on the ball long-term. His long-term concern is what cheap gas will do to much cleaner sources of energy. Wind and solar power are more expensive than natural gas. And though those prices have been coming down, they're chasing a moving target that has fallen fast: natural gas. It makes the prospects for large-scale expansion of those technologies more chancy. From an environmental perspective, natural gas could help transition our economy from fossil fuels to clean energy. It's often portrayed as a bridge fuel to help us through the transition because it's so much cleaner than coal and it's abundant. But Jacoby says that bridge could be in trouble if cheap gas kills the incentive to develop renewable energy.
现在我们来关注一下廉价的天然气在美国带来的影响。天然气的大量开发有益于环境，因为作为一种清洁燃料，天然气可以代替污染环境的火力发电厂。然而，从长远来看，便宜的天然气可能会阻碍更为清洁的能源风能与太阳能的开发。NPR的理查德•哈里斯如是说： 天然气的开发进程往往会在当地引起反对。但是也有许多人从全球视角来看这个问题，将其视为一件好事。麻省理工学院的亨利•雅各布称清洁能源有助于推动经济发展。 总体来说，拥有这种可供使用的新型能源是件好事，对美国来说大有裨益。但是我们也需要将目光放长远些。 他更关注的是长远来说，便宜的天然气对更为清洁的能源将带来的影响。风能与太阳能都比天然气昂贵，虽然这些能源的价格有所下降，但是依然追不上价格急降的天然气。 这将为大规模开发这些能源的前景布上一层阴霾。 从环保的角度来说，天然气可帮助我们从化石燃料经济转型到清洁能源经济。天然气常被称为一种过渡燃料，因为它不仅比煤更为清洁，而且储量丰富。但是雅各布称如果这种便宜的气体扼杀了开发可再生能源的动力，这种过渡燃料将给我们带来麻烦。 ——译文来自: elaine153