Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

The 2017 Budget: Impacts on Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

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A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)—in partnership with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses—invites you to a briefing on the energy efficiency and renewable energy provisions of the President's budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017.
Speakers from the Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Congressional Research Service (CRS) will give an overview of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) budget request, explain the EERE Office budget priorities, and provide context on how these priorities and trends compare to prior years.

Environmental Justice in the Clean Power Plan

This briefing was originally scheduled on January 25
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A live webcast will be streamed at 3:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing discussing how environmental justice (EJ) is addressed through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean Power Plan, the nation’s first-ever rules limiting carbon pollution from power plants (which are the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States). The Clean Power Plan will not only cut millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions, but also hundreds of thousands of tons of particulate pollution that becomes soot and smog. Cutting these emissions will help prevent thousands of premature deaths, heart attacks, asthma attacks, and missed work days. Minority and low-income communities, which are more likely to be located in areas burdened with pollution, will particularly benefit from these emission reductions.
In accordance with Executive Order 12898, EPA is required to make environmental justice a part of its mission. After active involvement and feedback from the EJ community, the final Clean Power Plan provides tools to reduce the burden placed on minority, low-income, and indigenous communities from pollution and ensure that these communities are not disproportionately affected by the rule. Please join us as our panel explores how incorporating environmental justice concerns into the Clean Power Plan's implementation can help vulnerable communities.

What’s in the Paris Climate Deal?

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A live webcast will be streamed at 2:30 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing discussing the climate deal that came out of the 2015 Paris climate change conference, as well as what lies ahead for the 185 countries that pledged to reduce their emissions. The agreement set an ambitious goal of keeping warming significantly below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), in line with the international consensus that any warming above that level could lead to very serious consequences for the planet. The agreement specifies that each country will submit a more ambitious climate action plan every five years, showing a clear progression in emission reductions. In addition, the deal includes guidelines for countries to self-report their progress in meeting commitments, and a schedule for nations to meet and take stock of the progress made.
However, it is important to note that although every country has pledged to reduce emissions, none of these pledges are legally binding. The pledges so far will not reduce warming to below 2 degrees Celsius; according to data from the Climate Action Tracker, if countries stick to their commitments, warming should stay below 3 degrees Celsius. A target funding level for assistance to developing countries has not yet been set, although the agreement stipulates that funding will be more than $100 billion per year and will begin in 2025. Finally, in at least 55 countries (responsible for about 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions), the agreement will need to be ratified or approved, leaving it uncertain whether they will be able to stick to their commitments. Please join us as we discuss what commitments countries have made in the international deal on climate, and what the deal will mean for emission levels and the climate.

Protecting Public Health Through Cleaner Fuels and Lower Emissions

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A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing examining the health impacts of current octane sources and the need for cleaner, cost-effective octane providers. Octane is necessary for vehicle performance and increasing octane volumes would enable highly efficient engines. At the same time, octane-boosters in use today have historically been highly toxic compounds. But cleaner alternatives are available—namely biofuels.

How Can New Transatlantic Collaboration Overcome Barriers to Renewable Energy Goals?

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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) and the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) invite you to a briefing discussing how all levels of governments in the European Union and United States can expand collaboration on renewable electricity market penetration to meet energy, economic, and environmental needs. The briefing will feature an upcoming report by CCS, funded by the European Union Delegation to the United States, which examines high-priority common challenges and opportunities in the renewable energy sector that are prime candidates for new or enhanced forms of transatlantic collaboration at the regional and Member State/U.S. state levels. Attendees will be invited to provide comments and input for the report; join us to discuss how enhanced transatlantic cooperation can help set the stage for new investments and technologies through greater thought leadership, information sharing, technical assistance, and collaboration.

Farming & Water Quality: Conservation Policies Working to Reduce Nutrient Loss

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A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
From the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone to the Des Moines Waterworks lawsuit against drainage districts, water quality challenges are growing and the Farm Bill’s conservation programs are helping farmers in their efforts to reduce nutrient loss. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing examining these water quality challenges and how stakeholders are partnering to implement effective, voluntary, farm-level conservation practices that will provide multiple benefits both to rural and urban areas. The discussion will highlight Farm Bill conservation policies in action, which are helping advance best management practices that improve drinking water quality and farmers' bottom lines by enhancing in-field nutrient management. Farmers know that conserving nutrients makes both economic and environmental sense, but substantial work remains to achieve the widespread adoption necessary to address water quality and stave off regulation.

The PREPARE Act for Extreme Weather: Saving Lives and Taxpayer Money

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Live webcast availability has not been confirmed.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing about the bipartisan PREPARE Act, which seeks to improve our nation’s ability to withstand and recover from the impacts of extreme weather and reduce the financial impact on taxpayers. Over the past four years, the United States has been hit by 42 major weather disasters across 44 states, resulting in 1,286 deaths and $227 billion in economic losses. In its two latest High Risk Lists, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) cited extreme weather as one of the greatest threats to the federal government's balance sheet. To improve federal agencies’ ability to plan and prepare for extreme weather events, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) reintroduced the Preparedness and Risk Management for Extreme Weather Patterns Assuring Resilience and Effectiveness (PREPARE) Act this year on July 23. The bill (H.R. 3190) currently has 18 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle.

How Are States Planning to Comply With the Clean Power Plan?

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A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing discussing how states are planning to comply with the Clean Power Plan, which limits carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants. Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Power Plan represents the first time the United States has placed limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, currently the nation’s largest source of carbon pollution. The final Plan, released by the Environmental Protection Agency on August 3, is more ambitious than the draft version, calling for a 32 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels (instead of the 30 in the proposal). The EPA predicts that such a reduction will help the nation avoid 3,600 premature deaths and reduce yearly electricity bills by an average of $84 per ratepayer in 2030. The final Clean Power Plan also gives states an additional two years (until 2022 instead of 2020) to begin cutting CO2 emissions, and has taken into account states' feedback to recalculate their specific carbon reduction targets.
Now that the final version has been released, what are the best compliance strategies for states to meet the emission reduction goals, and what kind of assistance will EPA be able to provide?

Offshore Wind: Can the U.S. Catch Up with Europe?

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A live webcast will be streamed at 2:30 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing examining the role of offshore wind domestically and internationally. Wind blows more powerfully and steadily over water than land, enabling offshore wind farms to generate a greater amount of consistent electricity than their onshore counterparts. Despite its benefits, the offshore wind industry is still in its nascent phase in the United States, where there are currently no operational offshore wind farms. The first U.S. offshore wind project is expected to come online in summer 2016 at Block Island, 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. Deepwater Wind is leading the Block Island project, which will generate 50 megawatts (MW) of power, enough to run 17,000 homes. U.S. Wind is working on a much larger project off the coast of Maryland, where it plans to have 500 MW of offshore wind operating by 2020. Offshore wind is a far more mature power source in Europe, with more than 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power currently operating. What is the future of offshore wind in the United States? Can the U.S. offshore wind industry match Europe's success?

Innovative Clean Energy Strategies of Rural Electric Cooperatives

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A live webcast will be streamed at 10:00 AM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing featuring rural electric cooperatives (co-ops) which are taking significant action on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Member-owned, not-for-profit electric co-ops are typically smaller than investor-owned utilities, and they are less likely to have significant capital reserves or other resources to implement clean energy programs. But their small size and strong relationships with their member-consumers allow co-ops to be nimble and innovative, particularly with programs directly involving co-op members. As a result, many electric co-ops around the country have become successful clean energy laboratories.
This briefing will feature leaders from distribution co-ops and generation and transmission (G&T) co-ops discussing their clean energy innovations, including community solar programs, demand response initiatives, energy efficiency financing, and more. The speakers will describe the impacts and challenges of each strategy, and why these strategies work for their members.