不定项选择题 Government officials say the United States is using l
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不定项选择题 Government officials say the United States is using less energy than it has in thirty years. This was because much of the nation's economy has been shut down by measures meant to contain the new coronavirus. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a report that reduced demand for coal, gasoline and jet fuel drove the decrease. The numbers were similar in many countries around the world where energy use has fallen. Those trends are expected to turn around as commercial activity restarts. But a decline in U.S. and worldwide greenhouse gas emissions is expected. Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere the trap heat and are believed to cause rising temperatures.
Overall U.S. energy usage dropped 14 percent during April compared to the same time a year earlier, the energy administration said. That is the lowest monthly level since 1989. It is also the largest decrease ever recorded since the government began collecting the data in 1973. Not all forms of energy, however, have had decreases. Natural gas usage did not follow the trend and increased by 15 percent during April. Lockdown of stay - at - home orders may have played a part in the increase. Petroleum use fell to 14.7 million barrels a day in April, down almost a third compared to the same period last year. However, demand already has rebounded after stay - at - home orders ended and large parts of the economy started moving again.
People appear to be returning to their old driving habits. Petroleum use in June was back up to 17.6 million barrels a day. That number comes from the American Petroleum Institute. However, the group noted that new drilling activity continues to be weak. Oil exploration has decreased for seven straight months as stockpiles of oil and petroleum products remain near record levels. “While we are not out of the woods yet, we do appear to be headed in the right direction,” Said Dean Foreman, the industry group's chief economist. Coal companies are expected to have more difficulty than petroleum producers in recovering from the coronavirus crisis. Most coal produced in the U.S. is used to create electricity, but many electricity producers have switched to less costly natural gas and renewables; wind and solar.
Which of the following has remained near record low? ( )
