Congress Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Update – The Big Three: Affordable and Reliable Energy – South Dakota War College

Weekly Legislative Report: Aligning U.S. Policy with Sustainable Development Goals

Promoting Justice and Institutional Transparency (SDG 16)

Recent legislative action has focused on enhancing institutional accountability and ensuring justice, in direct alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

• A vote was cast to support the public release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a measure aimed at increasing transparency and accountability.
• This action supports SDG Target 16.6, which calls for the development of effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels.
• The initiative seeks to ensure that individuals found guilty of crimes are held responsible, reinforcing SDG Target 16.3 to promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice for all.
• The House Oversight Committee and the Justice Department are continuing investigations to ensure full accountability.

Addressing Public Health Challenges and Illicit Trade (SDG 3)

Efforts are underway to combat the public health risks associated with illicit products, contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being.

• Customs and Border Patrol seized approximately $60.3 million worth of illegal vaping products from China in the first half of the year.
• These unregulated products, often designed to appeal to children, pose a significant threat to youth health, undermining progress toward SDG 3.
• Support has been declared for the END Illicit Chinese Tobacco Act, legislation designed to authorize the destruction of these illegal imports.
• This legislative measure directly contributes to SDG Target 3.a by strengthening the implementation of controls on tobacco and related products to protect communities, particularly young people.

Enhancing Energy Security and Affordability (SDG 7 & SDG 8)

A series of legislative votes were passed to address rising energy costs and improve reliability, supporting the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

1. Regulatory Reform: Voted to pass bills that roll back regulations to prioritize domestic energy production, aiming to lower energy costs for consumers.
2. Strategic Reserves: Supported measures to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, enhancing national energy security.
3. Infrastructure and Markets: Voted to secure the power grid, open markets for liquified natural gas (LNG), and increase domestic refining capacity.
4. Economic Stability: These actions collectively aim to bolster American energy production, which contributes to stable energy prices essential for economic growth (SDG 8) and ensures progress towards universal access to affordable and reliable energy (SDG 7).

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article addresses public health concerns, specifically the “youth vaping epidemic” fueled by illegal products. It highlights the importance of protecting children from “unknown and unregulated products” that are harmful to their health.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This goal is relevant to the discussion of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, which were predominantly acts of sexual exploitation and violence against girls and young women. The call for justice for the victims directly relates to ending violence against women and girls.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  The article explicitly focuses on this goal in the section titled “The Big Three: Affordable and Reliable Energy.” It discusses concerns about “rising energy prices,” the need to “keep energy bills affordable,” and ensuring “energy reliability” so that “the lights stay on.”

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  The discussion on energy includes efforts to “secure the power grid” and “increase refining capacity.” These actions relate to developing and maintaining reliable and resilient national infrastructure.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  This goal is central to two of the three topics. First, the discussion of the Epstein case emphasizes transparency (“release the Epstein files”), justice for victims, and holding perpetrators accountable through institutional processes (“House Oversight Committee’s investigation,” “Justice Department”). Second, it is addressed through the actions of state institutions like “Customs and Border Patrol” seizing illegal goods and the legislative process to create the “END Illicit Chinese Tobacco Act” to combat illicit trade.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.a: Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate.

   The article’s support for the “END Illicit Chinese Tobacco Act” is a legislative measure aimed at controlling the import and spread of harmful vaping products, which aligns with the principle of strengthening national policies to control harmful substances.

2. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.

   The reference to Jeffrey Epstein’s “heinous, evil crimes” directly points to the issue of sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls, and the call for justice for the victims supports the aim of this target.

3. Target 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

   The article’s entire energy section is dedicated to this target, with direct mentions of tackling “rising energy prices” to ensure energy is “affordable” and actions to guarantee “energy reliability.”

4. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being.

   The stated vote to “secure the power grid” is a direct action toward making energy infrastructure more reliable and resilient.

5. Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

   Many of Epstein’s victims were minors, making this target highly relevant. The call for justice addresses the need to end and prosecute such crimes against children.

6. Target 16.4: By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime.

   The seizure of “$60.3 million worth of illegal vapes imported from China” is a direct action against illicit trade flows, a key component of this target.

7. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

   The article highlights the vote to “release the Epstein files” and the public release of “more than 65,000 documents” by the House Oversight Committee as acts of institutional transparency and accountability.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for Target 16.4 (Value of seized illicit goods):

  The article provides a specific, quantifiable indicator by stating that “Customs and Border Patrol seized around $60.3 million worth of illegal vapes.” This figure directly measures the value of intercepted illicit goods.

• Implied Indicator for Target 3.a (Prevalence of youth substance use):

  The article’s reference to the “youth vaping epidemic” implies the use of data that measures the prevalence of vaping among young people. This rate would be a key indicator of the scale of the problem and the effectiveness of interventions.

• Implied Indicator for Target 7.1 (Energy affordability):

  The concern over “rising energy prices” and the goal to “keep energy bills affordable” imply an indicator related to the cost of energy for consumers, such as the Consumer Price Index for energy or the average household expenditure on energy as a percentage of income.

• Implied Indicator for Target 7.1 / 9.1 (Energy reliability):

  The stated goals to “ensure the lights stay on” and “secure the power grid” imply the use of indicators that measure the reliability of the energy supply, such as the frequency and duration of power outages.

• Implied Indicator for Target 16.2 / 5.2 (Victims of violence and exploitation):

  By discussing the “victims” of Epstein’s crimes and the need for justice, the article implies the existence of indicators that count the number of victims of sexual exploitation, abuse, and trafficking, which are used to understand the scope of such crimes.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: dakotawarcollege.com