Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

Energy Efficiency Means Business 2021

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing to hear from a panel of experts about how federal energy efficiency programs create jobs and deliver direct meaningful savings to constituent homeowners, consumers, and businesses—all while reducing the stresses and strains on our energy system. Making investments in energy efficiency also encourages productive public-private partnerships and collaboration, improves the sustainability and resilience of our communities, and contributes to meaningful, near-term reductions in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Congressional Climate Camp #2: Federal Policies for High Emitting Sectors

A live webcast will be streamed at 02:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast
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 join us for our all-new, start-of-the-new-Congress Climate Camp online briefing series. We will go over the basics of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for achieving near-term and long-term carbon reductions through policy.
Our second session will discuss the sectors with the highest carbon emissions, and highlight policy mechanisms to reduce emissions in each sector—power generation, industry, buildings, transportation, and agriculture. Each of these sectors has unique challenges in reducing carbon emissions. Federal policymakers have an array of options to address these challenges through coordinated action, thereby maximizing impact across sectors.


2:00 PM


Welcome from EESI Executive Director Daniel Bresette




2:05 PM


AGRICULTURE 9.9 percent of U.S. emissions
Dr. Christina Tonitto, Ecosystem Scientist, Department of Global Development, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences




2:25 PM


POWER GENERATION 26.9 percent of U.S. emissions
Dr. Deepakraj Divan, Professor and Director of the Center for Distributed Energy at the Georgia Institute of Technology




2:45 PM


BUILDINGS 12.3 percent of U.S. emissions
Liz Beardsley, Senior Policy Counsel, U.S. Green Building Council




3:05 PM


INDUSTRY 22 percent of U.S. emissions
Dr. Julio Friedmann, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs




3:25 PM


TRANSPORTATION 28.2 percent of U.S. emissions
John Porcari, formerly President of U.S. Advisory Services at WSP; formerly Obama Administration Deputy Secretary of Transportation

Relief and Housing Assistance for COVID-Impacted Communities

A live webcast will be streamed at 02:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing hosted in coordination with the National Housing Trust and the Natural Resources Defense Council (national partners with the Energy Efficiency for All project) about the costs and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn for housing and energy services. Panelists will explore issues faced locally by communities hard-hit by the dual crises, especially in southern and midwestern regions, including mounting utility bill arrearages; electric, gas and water shutoffs; and evictions. The harmful effects of the crises are distributed unevenly, with unjust burdens crushing low-income, Black, Indigenous, and people-of-color communities.
Speakers will also discuss national policy solutions that can deliver relief and help communities eager to recover. The Biden-Harris Administration and many in Congress are proposing increases in energy, water, and rental assistance and other provisions that protect against shutoffs and evictions. Panelists will have a discussion with participants online about the threats to communities and the different policy solutions already in place—including the CARES Act and the COVID-19 Economic Relief Bill—and those currently being debated, such as President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

Congressional Climate Camp #1: Budget, Appropriations, and Stimulus

A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast
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 join us for our all-new, start-of-the-new-Congress Climate Camp online briefing series. We will go over the basics of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for achieving near-term and long-term carbon reductions through policy.
Our first session will bring you up to speed on the budget and appropriations process already underway for fiscal year 2022. Presenters will draw on examples of funding for climate, energy, and environment programs to bring the process to life and show how it plays out in practice. Then, the session will dive into how stimulus packages take shape, the role of climate action in stimulus, and what to expect in the upcoming months as the new administration and the 117th Congress work to address the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EESI’s Congressional Climate Camp is designed for you to get the information you need, so join us for the full session or jump in and out.



2:00 PM


Welcome from EESI Executive Director Daniel Bresette




2:10 PM



Nuts and Bolts of Budget and Appropriations
Corrie Clark, Energy Policy Analyst, Congressional Research Service




2:45 PM


On the Ground with Budget and Appropriations
Franz Wuerfmannsdobler, Senior Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center




3:20 PM


What You Need to Know About Stimulus
Karen Wayland, CEO, kW Energy Strategies




3:55 PM


Conclusions and Resources for More Information

2020 Climate Action Update

A live webcast will be streamed at 3:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
2020 is a major benchmark year for climate goals, with national governments, cities, states, corporations, higher education institutions, faith-based groups, and investors aiming to reach initial targets by this year. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing to assess progress towards climate mitigation and adaptation goals in the United States as we reach the last few weeks of 2020. What climate goals have been met and where did they fall short? What challenges emerged and what innovations and policies helped?
The briefing will feature a presentation of two major reports, We Are Still In to Deliver America’s Pledge: A Retrospective and Delivering on America’s Pledge: Achieving Climate Progress in 2020. Together, the reports cover progress made by states, cities, and businesses to reduce emissions since 2017 and explore the implications of COVID-19 on reaching 2030 emission reduction goals.
The presentation will be followed by a moderated discussion focused on what Congress can learn from the policies and on-the-ground projects that have driven emission reductions in recent years.

The State of Play for Public Transit

By Air, Land, and Sea:
Navigating the Climate Future



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Nov. 17
Ports Leading the Way on Mitigation and Resilience


Nov. 18
After COVID: A Lower Carbon Future for Commercial Aviation


Nov. 19
The State of Play for Public Transit



Overview of the transportation series


A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series on climate mitigation and adaptation in the transportation sector. The series will cover ports, aviation, and public transit.
Public transit systems across the country have seen major declines in ridership due to COVID-19. In spite of this and other challenges brought on by the pandemic, many transit systems have not wavered on their climate and sustainability commitments. Dr. Cris Liban of Los Angeles Metro, Kammy Horne of VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, Texas, and Erik Johanson of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will discuss the current state of their climate mitigation and adaptation work, and look ahead to share the economic, health, equity, and community benefits of investing in transit.

After COVID: A Lower Carbon Future for Commercial Aviation

By Air, Land, and Sea:
Navigating the Climate Future



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Nov. 17
Ports Leading the Way on Mitigation and Resilience


Nov. 18
After COVID: A Lower Carbon Future for Commercial Aviation


Nov. 19
The State of Play for Public Transit



Overview of the transportation series


A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series on climate mitigation and adaptation in the transportation sector. The series will cover ports, aviation, and public transit.
As commercial aviation recovers from the COVID-19 contraction, it will be critical to foster strategies and policy to help the industry reduce its climate impact. In this briefing, we will examine two of these strategies—sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and aircraft technology improvements. Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) will deliver opening remarks. Chris Tindal of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) will address the potential of low-carbon sustainable aviation fuels with life-cycle emissions substantially below conventional fossil-based jet fuel and the policy formula for scaling up the SAF industry. Barbara Esker of NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program will describe NASA’s role in the development of new efficient engine and airframe technologies as well as gas-electric propulsion.

Ports Leading the Way on Mitigation and Resilience

By Air, Land, and Sea:
Navigating the Climate Future



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Nov. 17
Ports Leading the Way on Mitigation and Resilience


Nov. 18
After COVID: A Lower Carbon Future for Commercial Aviation


Nov. 19
The State of Play for Public Transit



Overview of the transportation series


A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series on climate mitigation and adaptation in the transportation sector. The series will cover ports, aviation, and public transit.
U.S. ports, which are critical infrastructure for international trade and local economies, are vulnerable to sea level rise, erosion, storm surge, and flooding exacerbated by climate change. This briefing will feature two port systems that are leading the way to adapt to climate impacts while reducing port greenhouse gas emissions. Joshua Berger, Governor Inslee’s Maritime Sector Lead and the chair and founder of Washington Maritime Blue, will discuss Washington State’s collaborative effort to build a sustainable blue economy. The Maryland Port Administration's Jill Lemke and Kristen Keene will discuss specific adaptation and resilience projects at the Port of Baltimore—including projects that have already been tested by extreme weather impacts.

What Congress Needs to Know About Pending Nuclear Waste Legislation

A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for an online briefing about pending nuclear waste legislation, including amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and other bills, which would radically alter the way radioactive waste from civilian nuclear power plant is handled and stored. The nuclear waste issue is coming to a head as more and more nuclear plants shut down and enter decommissioning. Irradiated nuclear fuel (a.k.a. “spent” fuel) is currently stored in fuel pools and dry storage canisters on reactor sites, but these systems are unhardened and subject to leaks, failures, and attack. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in the process of licensing two private “consolidated interim storage facilities” (CISFs) in New Mexico and Texas, which would store the waste indefinitely in surface-stored or shallowly buried casks that are also subject to leaks and failures. Opening CISFs would trigger thousands of shipments of irradiated fuel over decades, crossing through most states and Congressional districts. All these approaches are fraught with feasibility problems and risks that could profoundly impact public safety, the environment, and the economy.
The briefing will discuss the status of pending bills and amendments and how they propose to deal with these problems and risks. While most Hill watchers expect few bills to move in this Congress after the election, it is worth noting that in the past, when legislation that changed how the United States handles nuclear waste was enacted, it occurred during the lame duck session, and therefore could again. But whether current bills dealing with nuclear waste move in this Congress or the next, the issue is pressing. Key decisions about what to do with nuclear waste from decommissioned plants are imminent, CISF licensing is moving ahead quickly, and Congress may soon be asked to vote on legislation that would change procedures and liability for storing nuclear waste at reactor sites, and enable it to be transported across the country to CISFs. This is the third EESI briefing on nuclear plant decommissioning and radioactive waste issues. It will be a moderated discussion with leading experts and advocates.

Federal Action for Resilient Coasts

A live webcast will be streamed at 3:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)







The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for the launch of our new report, A Resilient Future for Coastal Communities: Federal Policy Recommendations from Solutions in Practice, and a discussion of federal actions that can improve coastal resilience along our ocean and Great Lakes shorelines. The report highlights policy levers available to Congress, with 30 policy recommendations and case studies gathered from EESI’s year-long, 16-part briefing series on regional coastal resilience. The series featured 42 policy experts and coastal resilience practitioners from nearly every coastal state, from Maine to Wisconsin to Hawaii, covering topics from data-gathering to living shorelines to coastal retreat.
This online briefing will be conducted as a moderated discussion of coastal issues and policy solutions with four expert speakers from the briefing series.