Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

Rapid Readout: Implications of the U.S. Forest Service Reorganization

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a Rapid Readout about the recently announced reorganization and restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service. Housed within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service manages nearly 200 million acres of federal land, mostly in western states. Because the service’s focus is primarily on the West, the Administration is proposing to move the agency’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah. It also intends to reorganize staff into state hubs and eliminate 57 research labs. The Rapid Readout explored how these changes could impact decades of science, including key climate-related forest research. The session also covered the implications of the reorganization on both wildfire preparedness and response and annual budget and appropriation conversations. 

Policies and Financing Solutions to Modernize U.S. Water Infrastructure

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and American Rivers held a briefing about America’s most pressing water infrastructure challenges, and solutions to close the gap between investment needs and reliable water services. Today, U.S. waterways—and our drinking water—are vulnerable to aging infrastructure, stormwater and sewage overflows, and extreme weather. In January 2026, Washington, D.C., saw the consequences of such aging infrastructure when a sewer line collapsed, discharging 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River—one of the largest spills in U.S. history.
This briefing convened practitioners and policy experts who presented innovative policy and financing solutions—from smart monitoring systems to credit trading—to improve water infrastructure across the country. Panelists also highlighted key existing programs, like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which help states catalyze water innovation and address water affordability.

Tracking Down Data

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and Climate Central held a briefing to discuss a key underpinning of the U.S. economy: publicly-available weather and climate data. Federal data is used as an input to weather models that are essential to public safety and helps businesses—from farms and insurance companies to airlines and utilities—make daily decisions. Historically, Congress has played a central role in directing federal agencies to collect, analyze, and report weather and climate data. But today, hundreds of federal scientific datasets and reports, like the national climate assessments, have been removed from public access, altered, or buried. Popular climate webpages (e.g., climate.gov and EJScreen) have been taken down or archived. 
In this new information environment, universities, nonprofits, and national associations are stepping up to fill the gaps in maintaining weather and climate data left by the federal government. Panelists shared where to look for these datasets and explore how these organizations are maintaining public access to critical information without the resources afforded by the federal government. They also described the implications of these changes for end users, from individuals using weather apps to multinational corporations making significant business decisions. 

Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) held a briefing about readily-available solutions to help reduce energy costs for homes and small businesses. Together, rising energy demand, extreme weather events, and aging infrastructure are straining the U.S. electric grid, leaving homes and small businesses to feel the impacts of higher utility bills. With U.S. electricity prices having risen an average of 40% since 2020, affordability is now at the center of many conversations on energy policy. Upgrades to heating and cooling systems, insulation, and a wide range of household appliances can add up to cost-effective energy improvements that boost comfort in harsh weather, uplift consumer confidence, expand freedom of choice, and give consumers more control over their utility bills. Appliances with the ENERGY STAR® label, for example, can save a single household $450 annually.
This briefing convened experts from around the country with on-the-ground experience in bolstering energy efficiency and delivering savings to consumers. These panelists explored the benefits of energy-saving solutions available to households and small businesses. They also identified key federal programs that support these initiatives, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy

One year after the catastrophic wildfires that blazed through southern California, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) invite you to a briefing on emerging solutions to tackle the wildfire crisis, and the federal policy strategies for getting these solutions into the field. Communities nationwide are experiencing longer wildfire seasons and more intense, destructive wildfires. Hotter and drier weather, decades of fire over-suppression leading to the buildup of flammable materials, and increasing development in and around fire-prone areas have transformed wildfire—once a natural and sustainable part of American landscapes—into a major threat. From California to New Jersey, wildfires are taking a toll—costing the United States up to $424 billion annually and displacing tens of thousands of people.
This briefing will highlight efforts to address this crisis, including wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery policies and innovations in the United States. Panelists will identify evidence-backed approaches—from smart zoning and upgraded building codes to fuels management and early detection—and the role of federal policy in supporting the rapid development and cost-effective implementation of these tactics at scale. Attendees will leave this briefing with an understanding of how to strengthen wildfire mitigation efforts, bolster community wildfire resilience, ease the strain on emergency services, and save taxpayer dollars.

Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) held a briefing on commonsense technologies and solutions to keep energy costs low and meet rising demand. The rapid growth in energy demand from data centers has raised energy affordability conversations in households across the country. And on Capitol Hill, energy affordability might be the major theme of energy policy discussions. This panel covered a broad portfolio of commercially-available technologies and resources—from energy efficiency to renewable energy to natural gas—that are essential to understand in order to ensure that the U.S. energy system can continue to grow and promote domestic prosperity, encourage innovation, and provide opportunities for economic development.
The briefing shared new findings from the 2026 edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. The Factbook provides valuable year-over-year data and insights on the U.S. energy transformation. It examines trends in data centers and artificial intelligence along with the ways in which permitting and siting as well as federal appropriations impact the deployment of modern energy solutions. The report also features an in-depth look at key topics including demand-side energy resources, renewable energy, natural gas, energy storage, and sustainable transportation.

Rapid Readout: Frozen Infrastructure Winter Storm Impacts on Communities and the Power Grid

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a Rapid Readout on energy resilience and recovery after Winter Storm Fern in late January. Many on the East Coast and in the South took weeks to dig out from this storm. Homes and businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee were without electricity for more than a week, leaving residents in life-threatening situations. Building on lessons from past devastating winter storms, such as Winter Storm Uri that impacted Texas in February 2021, this Rapid Readout examined Fern's impacts on power grids and potential resilient solutions to help residents weather future storms.

Powering the Economy: Generation Innovation, Grid Optimization, and Energy Efficiency

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) held a briefing about state-led energy solutions to meet rapidly increasing power demand needed to grow America’s economy, support energy security and resilience, and put downward pressure on electricity costs. 
Attendees heard from State Energy Office leaders about the 11-state Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative, 13-state Geothermal Power Accelerator, hydropower, advanced transmission reconductoring and grid optimization, and energy storage. Panelists discussed energy efficiency solutions that are lowering energy bills for consumers and businesses, and the latest on state energy security initiatives designed to improve reliability and speed the recovery of energy systems following physical, weather, and cyber incidents. Speakers highlighted key federal policies that can help states in their efforts to catalyze energy innovation and address energy affordability.

Where Key Clean Energy Tax Credits Stand

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing on the state of federal clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits. This briefing reviewed how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) modified or altogether ended 12 key tax credits, including those for electric vehicles, renewables, biofuels, hydrogen, nuclear energy, and energy efficiency. The briefing shared ways companies and consumers are adapting to this new landscape, as well as the short- and long-term implications for the energy industry, developers, and manufacturers. Panelists also explored the outlook for using federal tax policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy bills for households and businesses, and increase resilience to climate impacts while advancing U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.

Rapid Readout: What Congress Needs to Know About COP30: Outcomes and What’s Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a Rapid Readout about the major outcomes from this year’s United Nations climate negotiations in Belém, Brazil (COP30). This Readout unpacked where key negotiations landed on issues including next steps on international climate finance, climate adaptation metrics, the intersection of climate and trade, and the implementation of carbon markets. 
The Readout reviewed the status of updated country commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase adaptation efforts and the next steps in the global effort to assess progress towards collective climate goals. Speakers unpacked the U.S. presence at COP30, including federal, subnational, and private sector roles in the proceedings; highlighted next steps following COP30; and explained what it all means for U.S. climate policy.
View the full briefing series at eesi.org/cop30-briefings.