Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about policy solutions to meet the reliability, resilience, and affordability challenges facing the U.S. energy grid. The grid underpins modern life—enabling economic activity, supporting national security, and powering everything from basic necessities in homes to critical infrastructure like hospitals and transportation. Today, the grid’s stability is being tested like never before. Aging infrastructure, extreme weather, and unprecedented increases in electricity demand could soon overwhelm generation and transmission capacity and outpace states and utility planners. These challenges hit home, from higher energy bills for consumers to rolling blackouts that leave communities vulnerable during heat waves, wildfires, winter storms, and hurricanes.  This briefing outlined policy options and technological innovations to address these challenges. Panelists expanded on several aspects of grid modernization, including the buildout of new transmission lines, bringing online new power generation and energy storage capacity, and improving energy efficiency. They also described the state of permitting reform in the 119th Congress. Attendees left this briefing with a better understanding of the imperatives and multiple benefits of an environmentally and economically sustainable energy grid to power the 21st century.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing discussing the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change in federal policy-making. While AI can aid in climate resilience and boost economic competitiveness, it is also on a trajectory to increase energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, and water usage. This paradox presents an important opportunity for discussion on how to best minimize the negative impacts of AI on the environment and harness its powers for a sustainable future.  This briefing provided a foundational understanding of AI’s role in the climate and energy arena. Panelists discussed the massive energy and water needs of data centers that run AI algorithms. They also layed out how the technology is already being put to use—from precision agriculture to resilient grid infrastructure and improved weather forecasting. The briefing highlighted the frontiers of AI, including the federal government’s role in research and development at the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories, and explored Congress’s role in aligning the rapid rise of AI development and usage with global goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Ohio River Basin Alliance held a briefing outlining how policymakers and community stakeholders can help restore the health of the Ohio River. The Ohio River is an important driver of economic growth for the six states it runs through—Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. It also supplies drinking water for more than 30 million people. However, impacted by toxic waste and sewage, mining and agricultural runoff, and inadequate water infrastructure, the Ohio River is considered one of the most heavily polluted rivers in the country. It also faces conservation challenges, from habitat loss to the spread of invasive species. This briefing unpacked the challenges and opportunities embedded in increasing the health and resilience of the Ohio River Basin. In particular, panelists addressed the disproportionate impact of both pollution and flooding on economically disadvantaged communities. Policymakers left with an understanding of how collaboration between community stakeholders, industry, and federal, state, and local governments advances pollution remediation work, conservation efforts, and climate resilience projects. 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Federation of American Scientists held a briefing about how federal policies can bolster resilience to extreme heat at the state and community level. Communities are experiencing hotter, more frequent, and more prolonged periods of record-breaking heat. Not only does extreme heat have immediate public health ramifications (heat-related deaths have more than doubled since 1999), it also exacerbates drought and wildfire risk, harms crops and livestock, and strains energy systems. Together, these impacts cost the United States an estimated $162 billion in 2024.  This briefing highlighted the Federation of American Scientists’ 2025 Heat Policy Agenda, which outlines policy considerations for Congress and the Administration to prevent infrastructure damage, economic impacts, and loss of life from heat. Speakers described opportunities to safeguard critical infrastructure such as our energy systems, improve productivity, and improve federal and subnational coordination on heat preparedness, management, and resilience.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing focused on the past, present, and future of the U.S. highway system. Since the end of World War II, Congress has paved the way for thousands of miles of roadways to connect U.S. towns and cities and foster economic activity. But highways have divided us as much as they have connected us. Multilane roads have bisected communities, made it hard to get around without personal vehicles, and even prevented wildlife from moving within habitats. Highways have also come with an ever-increasing price tag, with $62 billion allocated to the Federal Highway Administration for maintenance, repair, and expansion in fiscal year 2025. This briefing highlighted how the country’s highways can be maintained in the context of a changing climate, from increasing preparedness for extreme weather events to building out electric vehicle charging corridors. Panelists highlighted opportunities for federal policy to help relocate highways to reconnect communities, use cool pavement and climate-smart building materials, and manage toxic runoff from roads. The briefing also identified opportunities to optimize federal funding to improve the way the country’s highways connect people.

Railways play a key role in American transportation and commerce, moving 28% of U.S. goods and tens of thousands of people across the country every day. The United States boasts 140,000 miles of freight rail lines underpinning an $80 billion industry that employs roughly 167,000 people. Meanwhile, Amtrak, the primary provider of U.S. passenger rail connecting people across rural and urban America, reported record ridership in fiscal year 2024 with 32.8 million passengers. From the crucial Northeast passenger rail corridor to the nation’s largest freight hub in Chicago, rail has the potential to play a key role in a decarbonized transportation sector by displacing emissions from cars, trucks, and planes.  This Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) briefing explored the past, current, and future role of rail in the U.S. transportation sector and highlighted key rail programs under the surface transportation bill. Speakers also described opportunities to modernize railways through electrification, faster trains, track expansion, and safety improvements.

Welcome to a new twist on the typical EESI Congressional briefing: EESI Rapid Readouts! Things are happening faster than ever, and you need information quickly. These 30-minute interactive Readouts bring you what you need to know, when you need to know it.  This Readout will answer your questions on the mechanics of reconciliation, how the process could unfold in the coming months, and how the package moving through Congress could affect clean energy tax incentives and other funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and more. To learn about the basics of budget reconciliation, as well as the annual appropriations process, watch or read the highlight notes from EESI’s February 2025 briefing, Understanding the Budget, Reconciliation, and Appropriations. We are here to help you answer questions from your boss and constituents. Let us know what climate, energy, and environmental topics you want to see us cover in future Rapid Readouts by emailing us here. 

Welcome to a new twist on the typical EESI Congressional briefing: EESI Rapid Readouts! Things are happening faster than ever, and you need information quickly. These 30-minute, interactive Readouts will bring you what you need to know, when you need to know it. This venerable U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program is best known by its distinctive blue logo, which helps consumers choose high-efficiency appliances and electronics that save them money. But ENERGY STAR is much more than that, and it underpins countless federal, state, and local energy efficiency initiatives. This Readout provided background on the bipartisan origins and heritage of ENERGY STAR and described the many benefits the program delivers to households and businesses, including retailers, developers, and utilities. 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about Congress’s role in bolstering the long-term resilience, investability, and insurability of U.S. communities. Insurance premiums have increased by an average of 21% since 2015, and almost 67% of U.S. homes are underinsured. This raises significant questions about the ability of American households to affordably manage the risks they face from increasingly severe and frequent disasters like wildfires and storm-induced flooding. This briefing explored the basics of property insurance and how it functions in the United States, including the challenges faced by individuals, businesses, insurers, and reinsurers. It also featured existing and emerging tools—from parametric insurance to climate endorsements—that are reshaping how insurance products can better serve communities. Panelists described the role of federal policy in advancing these new ways of thinking about insurance. At this briefing, Woodwell Climate Research Center also be launched a new report, Rebuilding Insurance for a Climate Future: A Policy Guide to Understand Tools, Address Inequities, and Find Solutions.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), the American Public Health Association, and Transportation for America held a briefing about the public health implications of transportation policy. As Congress embarks on the surface transportation reauthorization process, policymakers have the opportunity to revisit federal policies and investments that also shape public health, prosperity, and climate outcomes.  This briefing explored the nexus of transportation, public health, and climate change. Panelists described potential negative health outcomes, stemming from issues like air pollution and road crashes. The briefing also provided policy, process, and funding solutions that weave public health considerations into the surface transportation reauthorization process in a way that benefits both people and climate.

Hosted in coordination with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses and the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) held a briefing about the 13th edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. The Factbook provides valuable year-over-year data and insights on the U.S. energy transformation, featuring an in-depth look at the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and natural gas sectors, as well as transmission, digitalization, microgrids, offshore wind, hydrogen, and renewable natural gas. This year, the Factbook dives into the growing energy demand driven by data centers and artificial intelligence. It examines trends in clean energy supply chains, growth in domestic manufacturing, and the ways in which permitting and siting impact the deployment of renewable energy. Panelists spoke to key takeaways from the 2025 Factbook and what they mean for industries working in all facets of the energy transition. The Factbook, published by BloombergNEF and BCSE, launched on February 20, and is available to download for free at www.bcse.org/factbook.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a start-of-the-new-Congress briefing series, Climate Camp. We reviewed climate science, cutting-edge innovations, and the role of the legislative process in climate mitigation and adaptation. The surface transportation bill reauthorizes federal highway, transit, and rail funding and programs every five years. This final briefing of EESI’s Congressional Climate Camp series provided a breakdown of everything decision-makers need to know ahead of the bill’s next reauthorization in 2026.  Panelists described the transportation bill’s history, including bipartisan cooperation, climate-related provisions, and external stakeholder engagement. Looking ahead, the briefing explained the general timeline for the reauthorization, the bill’s jurisdiction, and key issues across bill titles. The briefing also shared on-the-ground climate success stories from the most recent reauthorization—the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing highlighting strategies for improving the resilience and restoring the health of the Colorado River and its tributaries. The Colorado River basin serves as an essential source of agricultural, residential, and commercial water for communities and tribes in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and California as well as our neighbors across the border in Mexico. However, the river faces severe water stress, resulting in dwindling reservoirs. This water stress, exacerbated by climate change, threatens to degrade the river and jeopardize the ecosystems dependent on it. This briefing focused on the role of federal policy in supporting stakeholders across the West as they addressed the impacts of drought and water stress through effective water conservation, measurement, and allocation. Panelists discussed the importance of collaboration between tribes, industry, communities, and local and federal government to restore river vitality and ensure equitable water availability for generations to come.

This briefing highlighted the ways in which onshoring the manufacturing of clean energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle components increases American competitiveness, secures U.S. supply chains, and creates jobs. According to the 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, in less than two years, companies announced more than $123 billion in investments in over 100 U.S. manufacturing facilities as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act. These new domestic manufacturing operations are making a diverse set of products—from solar panels and batteries to computer chips and wind turbines—in locations across the country. Research from E2 finds that these manufacturing plants are expected to create 67,000 jobs in rural areas.  Panelists discussed how this growth in domestic manufacturing supports the clean energy transition and helps meet increasing demand, all while reinvesting in the communities in which these factories operate. The briefing also explored recent Congressional actions that spurred this manufacturing boom, as well as possible policy opportunities to leverage the momentum.  View the full briefing series at eesi.org/2025climatecamps.

This briefing explained the processes, rules, and norms that underpin the budget, reconciliation, and appropriations debates happening right now on Capitol Hill. It explored the relationship between the presidential budget, annual appropriations, and budget reconciliation. Panelists described the different stages of the appropriations cycle and how the process interfaces with other legislative activity on the Hill. The briefing highlighted ways Congressional staff—working both on and off the budget and appropriations committees—can engage with the conversations on fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations, FY2026 appropriations, and budget reconciliation.

Ready to make a difference in climate policy, but not sure where to start? We have you covered. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to view our start-of-the-new-Congress briefing series, Climate Camp. We review climate science, cutting-edge innovations, and the role of the legislative process in climate mitigation and adaptation. EESI’s first Climate Camp briefing served as an interactive refresher on the drivers of climate change and the latest deployable solutions to address the challenge. This Congress, topics such as agriculture, infrastructure, and national security will be front and center. The briefing covered climate concepts and terminology—from types of greenhouse gases to renewable energy technologies—to help you identify policy solutions at the intersection of these issue areas. At this briefing, panelists showcased tools—like the EN-ROADS simulator, co-developed by MIT Sloan and Climate Interactive—that staff can use to easily digest climate data and generate policy ideas. They also highlighted federal agency resources essential to understanding the climate challenge and innovative solutions to address it.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation strategies in the Columbia River basin. The Columbia, which winds through British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington state, is an important source of food, drinking water, irrigation, recreation, and clean energy for the Pacific Northwest. However, the effects of climate change have created and exacerbated problems like estuarine habitat loss, toxic algal blooms, low water levels, and diminished fish populations, highlighting the importance of finding science-based solutions to these issues. This briefing also discussed the outcomes of the Uncommon Dialogue, which brought together tribes, national and local government, the hydropower industry, and river conservation stakeholders to identify shared approaches to steward river health and safety while ensuring hydropower operations provide clean, affordable energy. Panelists discussed the role of federal investments in the Columbia River’s resilience and health, including Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about strategies to improve biodiversity and river health along the Tennessee River, which winds through Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky. The Tennessee River, one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America, experiences damaging issues ranging from PFAS and plastics to chemical pollution from landfills and manufacturing. These issues threaten both water quality and the health and well-being of the many communities in the river’s watershed. This briefing highlighted the importance of effective enforcement of local, state, and federal clean water laws and regulations. Panelists discussed the role of federal policy-making in boosting river health, as well as opportunities to support biodiversity.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about the role of United States-China climate engagement in shaping the progress and outcomes of international climate governance. From critical mineral supply chains to clean energy and transportation technology, dynamics between the two countries are complex and sometimes fraught. This briefing explored how the countries’ relations across broader climate and environmental issues have influenced and will continue to influence the annual U.N. climate change negotiations. In 2023, the United States and China produced the Sunnylands Statement ahead of the U.N. climate change negotiations (COP28), following a tradition of publishing similar joint positions in prior years. The statement covered topics related to the energy transition, forest conservation, and non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, including methane. It also kicked off a working group focused on “climate action in the 2020s,” which started meeting in the first half of 2024.   During the briefing, panelists explained how these bilateral interactions play into the international negotiations on climate change, outlined what to expect during COP29 and its lead up, and discussed the effectiveness of diplomatic efforts in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing discussing how nations can collaborate to monitor and mitigate methane emissions to improve air quality and meet emission reduction targets. Methane accounts for 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution and has 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide, making it a key lever in addressing the climate crisis.  Ahead of the United Nations annual conference on climate change (COP29), this briefing covered policies nations are implementing to effectively reduce their domestic methane emissions in the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. Panelists discussed the implementation of the Global Methane Pledge, which 155 countries have signed, and highlighted the role of technology in improving methane monitoring, compliance, and reduction.