Read the following passage carefully:
Under the 2025 Inland Waterways Clean Freight Initiative, municipal river ports operating along industrial corridors are eligible for federal electrification subsidies only if at least sixty percent of their annual cargo handling is shifted to electric barge systems. Additionally, participating ports must install shore-power infrastructure capable of supplying grid electricity to berthed vessels, thereby reducing auxiliary diesel engine emissions. However, state environmental compliance audits revealed that several eligible river ports, despite successfully receiving full electrification subsidies, experienced a net increase in total localized carbon emissions over the first operational year. The audit highlighted that these ports purchased power from regional grids that relied predominantly on coal-fired thermal plants during peak operational hours to meet the sudden surge in shore-power energy demand. Consequently, while direct vessel emissions at berth decreased significantly, the indirect upstream emissions generated by the power grid exceeded the direct emission reductions achieved at the port docks.
Based strictly on the passage provided, which of the following statements is a logically necessary inference regarding the participating river ports?
- A reduction in direct emissions from berthed vessels does not by itself ensure a net decrease in overall localized carbon emissions caused by port operations.Answer
- BFederal electrification subsidies were legally restricted to river ports that had already eliminated coal-based electricity from their local grid supply.
- CThe audited river ports deliberately falsified energy consumption records to fraudulently claim federal electrification funds.
- DRenewable power infrastructure like solar and wind panels is inefficient when integrated into municipal river freight logistics.