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M7.7 Blog about the agency's role

Each of these agencies has some jurisdiction over a topic/issue that is related to public health.  Obviously, the Department of Health and Human Services does.    Choose one of the other agencies and write in your blog how that agency’s work might impact public health. Note, you should go to the agency’s official website.  
Also, note that the EPA is NOT one of the Executive Agencies.   The head of the EPA is a Director, not a Secretary, which is the title given to the head of the Executive agencies.  Because of this, the EPA is not represented in the President’s Cabinet.   The same is true at the state level in California.

I chose to explore the Department of Energy (DOE) (https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-department-of-energy).

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a clear impact on public health and environmental health in particular. The DOE manages the United States' nuclear infrastructure and administers the country's energy policy. The DOE also funds scientific research in the field.  The country's energy policy has clear environmental implications, as we have seen in the coal/fossil fuel vs. renewable energy debate nationally over the last several years. The DOE can do things like incentivizing people using renewable energy through tax breaks and assistance for low-income people (LIHEAP - Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program). Unfortunately, this means the DOE can also do things like continue to support the fossil fuel industry through tax breaks and policies that work in their favor. Additionally, our nuclear infrastructure has damaging impacts on the environment and our health. The DOE has a responsibility to minimize the negative environmental health impacts and weigh the environmental health consequences of each decision made in our nuclear infrastructure. Finally, the way research is funded in these areas can guide the future of energy in our country and if research is not funded to learn and address the environmental health impacts of our energy and nuclear infrastructure policies, this is very detrimental to public health. 

Comments

  1. KJOctober 16, 2019 at 3:15 PM

    I like the incentive housing that the DOE is able to provide. A program like Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is really necessary. I've been seeing a lot of solar panels on homes in Oakland and I'm wondering if it related to that program. I would love to see if I qualify for that type of energy assistance.

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