Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

Offshore Wind Energy

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on offshore wind energy. In March 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration announced an interagency goal of deploying 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030—an extraordinary increase from the 42 megawatts of offshore wind currently operating in the United States. Meeting this goal will require a rapid and historical deployment of offshore wind energy that has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs, spur the economy, and provide renewable energy to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
During this briefing, panelists will discuss opportunities, challenges, and considerations for scaling up offshore wind energy in the United States, as well as the policies that could support such a ramp-up.

Living with Climate Change: Extreme Heat

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on policies and practices to address extreme heat. Across the country, the number of days per year with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit is increasing, and heat causes more deaths than any other type of weather event. In April 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the first Department of Labor program to protect workers from the impacts of extreme heat. Additional steps are needed to reduce the risk of dangerously hot conditions and increase community resilience to heat.
Panelists will discuss ways that built and natural infrastructure can reduce temperatures, steps to protect outdoor and warehouse workers, and how communities and cities are designing and implementing heat action plans.

Pathways to Regenerative Agriculture

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) invite you to a briefing on regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture, or farming in sync with the local environment and climate, produces multiple economic, climate, and societal benefits. Examples of these practices include reducing or eliminating synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use and soil tillage. The briefing will feature findings from NRDC’s new report, Regenerative Agriculture: Farm Policy for the 21st Century, which was informed by conversations with farmers and ranchers from 47 states and Washington, D.C.
As Congress begins to craft the 2023 Farm Bill, the briefing will cover how federal policies can incentivize and invest in regenerative agriculture, including by making reforms to scale up regenerative agriculture stewardship, supporting the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and funding regenerative agriculture research and education programs. Panelists will describe how these steps can lead to a more resilient and productive agricultural system.

Living with Climate Change: Wildfires

A live webcast will be streamed at 01:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on policies and practices to address wildfires. Billions of dollars are spent fighting wildfires every year, and the cascading economic, health, and societal impacts of wildfires are enormous. Compounding these challenges, wildfires also release greenhouse gases and harmful aerosols into the atmosphere. Over the last century, battling wildfires after they have started has been the main approach to address this threat. Yet, with record-setting fire seasons happening almost every year, more proactive and preventative steps are needed.
Panelists will discuss policies and practices that would allow the United States to reduce the overall risk of wildfires, including how innovations in community-centered wildfire protection can improve resilience for humans and ecosystems.

Building Out Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on building out electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Electric vehicles are crucial for decarbonizing the U.S. transportation sector, which accounts for 29 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions—more than any other sector. While electric vehicles have gained traction in recent years, insufficient charging infrastructure is a significant barrier to widespread adoption. The $7.5 billion allocated to charging infrastructure in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and existing programs like the Rural Energy Savings Program present a significant opportunity to deploy widespread and equitable electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
How can charging infrastructure be rapidly expanded? What are the considerations for ensuring that charging infrastructure is accessible, equitable, and efficient? How can innovation improve charging infrastructure? Panelists will discuss these questions and the policy solutions that can help scale up electric vehicle charging infrastructure to drive down emissions.

Direct Air Capture

A live webcast will be streamed at 3:30 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on direct air capture, which chemically removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The captured carbon can be permanently stored underground or used in industrial processes. While climate change mitigation efforts are the priority, carbon dioxide removal will be necessary to help meet climate goals and limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) as outlined in the Paris Agreement. The scale of carbon removal needed will depend on how fast the world curbs greenhouse gas emissions.
During this briefing, panelists will explain what Congress needs to know about direct air capture, including the considerations, challenges, and opportunities involved in responsibly scaling it up.

Living with Climate Change: Sea Level Rise

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on policies and practices to address sea level rise. Sea level rise is a unique challenge for coastal communities and for policymakers. How will impacts from sea level rise compound impacts from extreme storm events? What infrastructure and communities will be impacted over different time horizons? When should funding be allocated to rebuild or armor coastlines and what are alternative options? What are the strengths and limitations of nature-based solutions for coastal resilience to sea level rise?
Panelists will discuss these questions and highlight policy ideas and solutions that could start to shape a more robust U.S. response to sea level rise.

Green Hydrogen

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on green hydrogen. Green hydrogen—hydrogen produced using renewable energy—will likely be necessary for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like steel production and providing a low- and no-emissions alternative to the existing carbon-intensive hydrogen industry. The problem? Green hydrogen currently makes up less than one percent of U.S. hydrogen production and is far more expensive than fossil fuel-based hydrogen. Panelists will discuss opportunities and considerations for ramping up green hydrogen, including the role of federal policy.

Living with Climate Change: The Polar Vortex

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing series on strategies, policies, and programs preparing communities around the country for four major climate threats: polar vortices, sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme heat. Experts and practitioners will highlight the unique challenges these climate threats present along with strategies to overcome them.
The polar vortex is an area of low-pressure, frigid air that usually exists around the North Pole. The polar vortex is held in place by the Earth’s rotation and temperature differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes. Changes in temperature differences can make the polar vortex expand to more southern latitudes. While this phenomenon occurs naturally, climate change is expected to impact the frequency and severity of polar vortex events. Communities must consider adaptation strategies to avoid blackouts and improve overall home energy efficiency, as loss of power when temperatures are so low can become deadly—246 people died during the Texas polar vortex freeze in 2021, many from hypothermia.
Panelists will discuss the science behind the polar vortex and how the energy grid and other critical infrastructure can be made resilient to this threat.

Justice40

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing about the Justice40 Initiative and how it can deliver benefits to frontline communities.
In January 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The executive order launched a new initiative, Justice40, which aims to target 40 percent of the benefits from specific federal investments—such as those for clean energy, energy efficiency, and water infrastructure—to “disadvantaged communities.” Justice40 is a critical part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of advancing environmental justice, but efforts must be made to ensure communities see maximum benefits from the initiative. To inform the Justice40 Initiative, the Council on Environmental Quality recently launched a Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.
During this briefing, experts will discuss the transformative potential of Justice40 as well as the current status of the initiative. Panelists will describe the wide range of benefits frontline communities could realize from fair and just implementation of the initiative.
Introductory remarks from Representative Donald McEachin (D-Virginia).