Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

2021 Congressional Clean Energy EXPO and Policy Forum

Monday, July 26, 2021
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
Free


The EXPO is open to the public and free.




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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Caucuses invite you to join us for this year’s Virtual Congressional Clean Energy Expo taking place Monday, July 26. Building on the more than 20 years of experience hosting clean energy leaders from various sectors, we will once again showcase technology and policy solutions to today’s climate and energy use challenges.
Presenting before Congress and the public, top-level speakers will share findings and innovations on the impacts they are having to mitigate climate change, improve the economy, build resilience, and protect our security interests.
This year’s half-day conference will run from 1:30pm to 5:00pm EDT and will feature three sessions, including a mid-day panel featuring the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus Co-Chairs, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.).
Senate REEE Caucus Deputy Co-Chairs Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and House REEE Co-Chair Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) will also provide remarks.

Leveraging Grid Edge Integration for Resilience & Decarbonization

Modernizing the U.S. Energy System: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Path Forward



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



June 04
Towards the Energy System of Tomorrow


June 11
Modernizing America’s Transmission Network


June 25
Leveraging Grid Edge Integration for Resilience & Decarbonization




Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate benefits of modernizing the nation’s energy system.
The energy system is rapidly transforming, especially at the “grid edge” where “smart” building technologies, electric vehicles, and distributed energy generation combine and interact in new ways. These innovations provide opportunities to re-envision the nation’s energy system and how we use, store, and move energy around the country. They also create new ways to increase the resilience of people, communities, and the system itself without increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Briefing panelists will discuss policy opportunities such as a federal energy efficiency resource standard, state level efforts, and the nexus between buildings, transportation, energy storage, and the grid.

Modernizing America’s Transmission Network

Modernizing the U.S. Energy System: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Path Forward



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



June 04
Towards the Energy System of Tomorrow


June 11
Modernizing America’s Transmission Network


June 25
Leveraging Grid Edge Integration for Resilience & Decarbonization




Our live webcasts will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate benefits of modernizing the nation’s energy system.
As renewable energy infrastructure is scaled up across the country, moving that energy from where it is generated to the people who will use it is critical to meeting the country’s decarbonization goals. Investments in the transmission network will not only build demand for renewable energy use, but will also create jobs, increase the grid’s efficiency, and lower costs for consumers. Panelists will discuss what is needed to modernize the transmission network, including developing transmission infrastructure for offshore wind and increasing cooperation between states. The briefing will also cover how the transmission network can be constructed and maintained to maximize ecosystem conservation, respect Tribal lands, and increase the resilience of neighboring communities.

Unlocking Capital For Climate Solutions

Our live webcasts 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 how a national climate bank could deploy capital at scale to advance climate change solutions. Over 20 green banks currently exist in the United States, providing flexible and affordable financing for a wide range of clean energy projects that lower emissions and boost climate resilience. Because of their unique, mission-driven mandates to address social and environmental issues, these entities are well-positioned to provide targeted investments in rural areas, low- and moderate-income communities, and communities of color that are disproportionately affected by polluting facilities and climate change impacts and are often unable to access traditional funding sources.
This briefing will explore the climate mitigation and adaptation benefits that would be unlocked by a national climate bank, building upon the experiences of successful green banks across the country. Panelists will discuss how these investments would also create jobs and make climate solutions more affordable, accessible, and equitable.

Towards the Energy System of Tomorrow

Modernizing the U.S. Energy System: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Path Forward



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



June 04
Towards the Energy System of Tomorrow


June 11
Modernizing America’s Transmission Network


June 25
Leveraging Grid Edge Integration for Resilience & Decarbonization




Our live webcasts will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate benefits of modernizing the nation’s energy system.
As renewable energy infrastructure is scaled up across the country, moving that energy from where it is generated to the people who will use it is critical to meeting the country’s decarbonization goals. Investments in the transmission network will not only build demand for renewable energy use, but will also create jobs, increase the grid’s efficiency, and lower costs for consumers. Panelists will discuss what is needed to modernize the transmission network, including developing transmission infrastructure for offshore wind and increasing cooperation between states. The briefing will also cover how the transmission network can be constructed and maintained to maximize ecosystem conservation, respect Tribal lands, and increase the resilience of neighboring communities.

Congressional Climate Camp #5: Bonus Session: Understanding Budget Reconciliation

Congressional Climate Camps



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Jan. 29
Budget, Appropriations, and Stimulus


Feb. 26
Federal Policy to Decarbonize High-Emission Sectors


Mar. 26
Lessons Learned from Past Congresses and Current Public Attitudes on Climate


Apr. 30
Federal Policy for Mitigation and Adaptation Win-Wins


May 21
Understanding Budget Reconciliation




A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT 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 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 fifth and final session will look at budget reconciliation, an oftentimes difficult-to-understand process that allows Congress to pass laws related to taxes, spending, and the debt limit with only a majority vote in the Senate (instead of a filibuster-proof 60-vote supermajority). The Senate Parliamentarian determined that the Senate can pass two budget reconciliation bills this year, for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. But how does the process work? What are the major challenges for Congressional lawmakers and their staff in drafting and passing reconciliation bills? And why does it matter for climate policy?
This briefing will discuss budget reconciliation procedures along with do’s and don’ts for those involved in the process. A moderated, 40-minute discussion will follow the two speaker presentations.

Ambition and Opportunity in America’s New Climate Commitments

A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
On April 22, the Biden-Harris Administration announced America’s new greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments in the context of the Paris Agreement. The new U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) sets a goal of reducing emissions by 50-52 percent based on a 2005 baseline by 2030. The new NDC signals a return to U.S. leadership on climate change that will need to be matched with federal policies and programs that transition the United States to a resilient and equitable clean energy economy.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing on everything you need to know about the new NDC. Experts will discuss the new emissions reduction goal, why it matters, and how it can be used as a guide for domestic federal policy development and design. The briefing will also explain how the U.S. NDC fits into the overall architecture of international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate impacts.

Natural Climate Solutions: A Win-Win Solution for Our Environment and Our Economy

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and U.S. Nature4Climate (USN4C) invite you to a briefing on the role natural climate solutions can play in both mitigating climate change and stimulating the economy. Natural climate solutions, such as sustainable forestry and regenerative agriculture, reduce carbon emissions and sequester carbon through management of the world’s forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Policymakers are increasingly recognizing the important role America’s natural and working lands can play in efforts to tackle climate change. There is also growing evidence that these natural climate solutions can serve as a powerful mechanism to drive an equitable economic recovery—with lasting benefits for both rural and urban communities.
Panelists will provide an overview of the diverse range of climate-sensitive strategies that can be implemented in America’s farms and ranches, forests, grasslands and urban communities. They will also discuss the many economic benefits—from jobs to increased land productivity to new income for landowners—that can be derived by implementing natural climate solutions. We will also hear from on-the-ground practitioners who are already unlocking these benefits in both rural and urban communities. Finally, we will explore how major U.S. corporations are supporting the adoption of natural climate solutions to help meet their sustainability goals and improve their bottom lines.

Congressional Climate Camp #4: Federal Policies for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Win-Wins

Congressional Climate Camps



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Jan. 29
Budget, Appropriations, and Stimulus


Feb. 26
Federal Policies for High Emitting Sectors


Mar. 26
Lessons Learned from Past Congresses and Current Attitudes on Climate


Apr. 30
Federal Policy for Mitigation and Adaptation Win-Wins


May 21
Understanding Budget Reconciliation



Overview of the Climate Camp series


A live webcast will be streamed at 02:00 PM EDT 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 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 fourth session will look at a suite of climate solutions that simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate impacts. Briefing speakers will discuss how these solutions also advance environmental justice, job creation, and conservation.
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




2:05 PM


Coastal Nature-Based Solutions
Dr. Bhaskaran Subramanian, Ph.D., Chief, Shoreline Conservation Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources




2:25 PM


Solutions from the Agriculture Sector
Dr. John Quinn, Associate Professor of Biology, Furman University




2:45 PM


Mass Timber – Sustainable Buildings as Carbon Sinks
Russ Vaagen, Founder and CEO, Vaagen Timbers




3:05 PM


Achieving Efficiency and Resilience Through Building Codes
Kim Cheslak, Director of Codes, New Buildings Institute




3:25 PM


Ensuring Win-Wins Advance Environmental Justice
Jacqueline Patterson, Senior Director, Environmental and Climate Justice Program, NAACP

Rethinking Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Policies and Programs to Address Waste

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 join us for a briefing on local, state, and federal policies and programs as well as new technologies that will make you rethink waste management, who is responsible for waste, and whether waste is worthless.
The United States generates nearly 300 million tons of municipal solid waste per year—or almost one ton of waste per person, the most per capita in the world. About half of this waste ends up in landfills, which account for 15 percent of human-caused domestic methane emissions and threaten local water sources with toxic liquid. Meanwhile, recycling has become uneconomic and requires new approaches to be a viable, cost-effective waste management strategy. Creative solutions are needed to stem the deluge of waste, and public and private sector innovators are leading the charge.
This briefing will feature speakers from cities, states, and the private sector working to reduce and reuse a variety of waste types. Experts will discuss their programs and the policies that are helping them succeed: