The Department of Energy Organization Act was created and / or signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on August 4, 1977 in response to the 1973 Energy Crisis.
The new department consolidated the Federal Energy Administration, The Energy Research and Development Administration and the Federal Power Commission.
The Department of Energy is Cabinet level department of the United States Government concerned with US policies of handling energy and safety in handling nuclear material.
The parameters of its responsibility include the nuclear weapons program for the United States Navy, nuclear reactor production, energy conservation, energy research, radioactive waste disposal and domestic energy production.
The Departments’ creation was initially to find alternative fuel sources to prevent history from repeating itself and an energy crisis such as 1973 would be avoided for the future.
The reason for the 1973 oil crisis was because Saudi Arabia was unhappy with the United States for a decision to back Israel when the country was attacked by Egypt and Syria on Holy Day, Yom Kipper.
In response to the condemnation of this attack by the United States, OAPEC, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, announced an embargo on the United States and the Netherlands, both supporters of Israel.
Having been in existence for 39 years now, what kinds of alternative fuels have been invented and / or found?
The primary sources of energy, apart from fossil fuels, that have been found and are in use are nuclear energy, wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower.
The annual budget for 2016 was 29.9 billion.
It would seem that in 39 years, more could have been done to decrease our dependence on foreign oil.
There are some automobile hybrids on the road, but they have emerged in the last decade.
Our homes are still generally fueled by the same fossil fuels that have always been in play.
Solar panels and wind power are being used by utility companies, but not to the point that one would imagine.
With solar power, the problem is what to do after the sun goes down. The panels have some battery backup, but it isn’t 100% efficient or reliable.
Wind power, as the name implies, depends on the wind to create power.
Geothermal is in use for some homes and businesses, but the cost is prohibitive.
It is disappointing that billions of dollars later, not too much has been done to decrease the dependence on foreign oil.
Image: By JSquish – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15395498
