GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) | Re: Economist: The price of tap water in our region should be raised drast

Economist: The price of tap water in our region should be raised drastically.Supplies in local freshwater reservoirs have been declining for years because water is being used faster than it can be replenished. Since the price of tap water has been low,few users have bothered to adopt even easy conservation measure .

The two sections in boldface play which of the following roles in the economist's argument?

(A)