The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST FINALISTS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S4130-S4132 on July 1, 2020.
The Department oversees energy policies and is involved in how the US handles nuclear programs. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department's misguided energy regulations have caused large losses to consumers for decades.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST FINALISTS
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask to have printed in the Record some of the finalist essays written by Vermont High School students as part of the 10th annual ``State of the Union'' essay contest conducted by my office.
The material follows:
Samuel Dooley, Milton High School, Senior
The country that we live in today is plagued with fundamental problems. Ranging from political corruption to an inefficient healthcare system, yet the single most important issue facing our country today is nationwide environmental neglect. Without extreme actions being taken immediately, more irreversible damage will be done.
In 2018, the United States emitted 6.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is an estimated 8.8% more than 1990. Between 1990 and 2010, the United States lost 949,750 acres of forest on average per year. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 1.9 million gallons of oil are spilled into U.S. oceans every year.
Current studies show that the effects of climate change are more severe and are moving faster than was formerly predicted. What needs to happen is large scale environmental programs with legal incentives such as tax breaks, as well as punishments for not adhering to the plans like jail time and loss of government funding or subsidies. The most accurate proposal of recent years is the Green New Deal. This proposal called for a World War 2 type mobilization of the country to achieve 100% clean energy by 2030. This plan also looked to better the economy by creating jobs in sustainable industries, unlike jobs currently involved in fossil fuel industries, as well as investing in renewable public transportation and clean organic agriculture. The first step to combating climate change would be to immediately adopt this proposal, yet in March of 2019 the proposal was rejected by a Republican controlled Senate.
The very first step that should be taken is the readmittance of the U.S. into the Paris Climate Agreement. It is the duty of the United States to set an example for the rest of the world about how to combat climate change. An important idea is to make environmental agencies as nonpartisan as possible, similar to the NLRB where the members consist of nearly equal Republicans as well as Democrats at all times. This would ensure that decisions are made based on science instead of based on party ties and political affiliations.
The most important goal being to make the United States completely carbon neutral. A plan for most, if not all, energy produced to come from clean sources would be necessary to achieving that goal. Another necessity would be the implementation of programs designed to restore forests and wildlife. This would mean increased regulation on logging industries as well as oil industries. With an increased punishment for violating these regulations. These initiatives would be able to transition Americans losing their jobs in fossil fuel industries into clean energy industries, which would be a sustainable alternative. Green jobs would have higher job security than fossil fuels due to the fact that there is a finite amount of coal and oil available to be extracted, once the planet no longer has these resources available all of these millions of workers will lose their jobs with no replacement. With a program like the Green New Deal, these workers will have jobs that do not have an expiration date. It is important to remember that those first and most heavily affected by this crisis, are people with lower incomes. This is not only an environmental issue, but also a human rights issue.
It is up to all of us now to be able to preserve this planet and create a stable system which will allow all generations moving forward to prosper in a healthy environment.
Meredith Jackson, Burlington High School, Freshman
One issue in Vermont that doesn't get enough recognition is the cost of eating healthy. It isn't affordable for many, and the expenses can even discourage people to eat healthily. If the prices are discouraging people to eat healthily, then they might resort to unhealthier foods because they are cheaper and in more of the average price range for most.
Healthy Living and City Market both have a goal to provide local farm-fresh produce including prep items for healthy, nourishing, meals, and a selection of ingredients to cook vegan or gluten-free meals. Healthy living and City Market are great in that they provide fresh local produce, and for the quality that it is the prices make sense. On the Healthy Living website, the price for a container of raspberries can range anywhere from $4.29-$5.69. That may not seem like a lot but at McDonald's, you can get an entire meal for that much. That is just what many people choose to do, resort to cheaper options such as fast food.
Unlike fresh produce and wholegrain-rich foods, fast food is quick, easy, and very cheap, making it ideal for people who can't afford to shop at places like city Market or Healthy living.
According to Gallup, 80% of Americans eat fast food on at least a monthly basis, and 96% of Americans eat fast food annually. Fast food isn't bad unless a person has it often, say at least once a week. Eating unhealthy foods, too often, can cause people to become overweight or even obese. Over 99,000,000 adults in the U.S. are overweight and over 70,000,000 are obese.
Obesity can cause many health issues that could have been prevented if that person were of a healthy weight. Some risks include high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, breathing problems, such as sleep apnea and asthma, Gallbladder disease and gallstones, Osteoarthritis, Heart disease, stroke, and even cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle will reduce the risk of many of these health problems.
It's not guaranteed that people become obese overtime because healthy food is too expensive, eating unhealthily isn't the only factor that causes obesity, but it could very well be. If healthier foods were cheaper, it would be an option for more people and would encourage them to eat healthier reducing the risk of obesity. Having the availability of healthy meals is important.
A healthy diet is beneficial to your everyday life in so many ways. Some benefits to eating healthy are a maintained/healthy weight, reduced risk of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, more energy, and an increase in happiness. Also, a recent study has proven that having a diet consisting of plenty of fruits and vegetables and limits highly processed food, can reduce certain signs of depression.
This issue is very real and very important but thinking up solutions to this problem can be quite the challenge. There are a few solutions that seem doable and not too farfetched or unrealistic.
First, expanding the fresh produce area in stores like Hannafords to give more options and kind of push out some of the unhealthy, overly processed items in the store. This wouldn't necessarily make it less expensive but having more options might encourage people to shop in that section more often.
Second, doing some more advertising for the Farm Share Program. The Farm Share Program provides limited-income Vermonters with access to high-quality produce on a weekly basis. The program helps hundreds of families get access to a season's worth of farm-fresh produce by reducing the cost of the shares. The program itself is already a solution to this problem, but I feel like advertising would be good because it would inform more people that they have that option. All they have to do is sign up.
Third, and last, is more of something people could do themselves or with a group of people, but people could start their own gardens or start a larger neighborhood garden. This would provide people with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. All they would have to do is chip in a little hard work and time, then they could have all the free produce that was grown.
Eating healthy is expensive because a lot of work goes into growing, and getting, that local farm-fresh produce into stores. Farmers spend countless hours growing the crops from which it all comes from, people need to pick, sort, and wash everything, then, there is packaging and delivering. The list goes on. Another part is due to the fact that it is high quality, locally grown, and fresh. A lot of money goes into providing it, so a lot of money needs to be made in order for them to keep providing the produce to stores for everyone. The problem is big, the solutions are limited, but something needs to be done in order to provide farm-fresh products to the people of Vermont at a more reasonable and affordable price.
Caleb Matosky, Rice Memorial High School, Junior
As citizens of one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we have an inherent responsibility to set an example for others to follow. America has failed to take action and address what is perhaps the greatest threat our world has faced since the beginning of recorded history: climate change. If Americans continue to deny its effects, the future of our country will be put into jeopardy. Rising sea levels, more severe weather events, rampant wildfires, devastating droughts, and disappearing winters are just a few of the effects of climate change we are already experiencing. Skeptics and deniers might argue that America is taking enough action to fight global warming: this sort of lazy and selfish thinking is what has caused the American people and our government to allow climate change to occur uninhibited until the very end of the last century. If our government does not make drastic changes within the next several years, America as we know it could be forever changed. We have the money, we have the ability to implement changes, and all that remains is for lawmakers to place the future of our planet over their allegiance to fossil fuels.
I propose widespread legislation to ensure that America is powered by 80% renewable energy by 2030, which would be a large step in the right direction for the future of our planet. We need to penalize those who profit off of destroying the environment through fossil fuels, as these energy producers produce more emissions per day than many people produce in a year. Through new laws which put a price on CO2 emissions, and government tax relief for those who produce renewable power, we can work to rid the earth of harmful coal burning. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal fueled power generation produces 1.15 billion tons of CO2 each year. It is also the most carbon rich fossil fuel, producing 2.5 tons of CO2 per ton of coal burned. Despite this, coal is still being used as the primary source of energy in America. This needs to change. Additionally, we need to take action to crack down on other nations who disregard the state of the world's climate, and ensure that nations such as China and India take responsibility for their role in the issue.
The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, and if only a fraction of our military budget was used to invest in the future of our environment, the future of younger generations and the future of our species as a whole we might be able to prevent many of climate change's worst effects. There is no time left to wait, or to deny the challenges before us: we must take urgent action and do everything we can to lower CO2 emissions before it is too late.
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