Climate Action United States Project #10973

Engaging with Congress on Climate Change Solutions

by Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

Engaging with Congress on Climate Change Solutions

Project Report | Apr 14, 2020
Climate Action Campaign and COVID19 Response

By Susan Williams | Director of Development

Dear Friend,

Thank you for making a difference in the climate crisis by giving to EESI's project on Engaging with Congress on Climate Change and Resilience.

All of us at EESI hope that you and your family are doing well as our country and the world responds to the COVID19 crisis. I know this is a scary time full of uncertainty, and we may feel powerless just staying home and washing our hands, even though we know these are some of the best things we can do.

Because we simply cannot afford to lose time in tackling the climate crisis, you’re an important part of helping us continue to charge ahead.

It’s clear that the widely varying coronavirus responses around the country have some parallels to the way that climate action has unfolded piecemeal in states, cities, and countries—and swift federal action to respond to both crises intelligently is absolutely needed.

For both climate change and the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring that federal policy actions are informed by science and that they evolve quickly in response to the latest findings is critical.

Here at EESI, we are thankfully all healthy at this time and are taking advantage of the opportunity to explore different ways of connecting while continuing to fight climate change. The biggest change we have implemented involves our Congressional briefings which we are now conducting as webcasts via Zoom. So far, we have held two briefings as Zoom webinars streamed live on YouTube. We will continue to press ahead and hold briefings as webinars until it is safe to convene in-person meetings again. After all, the urgency of climate change is no less than it was before the outbreak.

With the 50th Earth Day fast approaching, we are excited to announce our participation in GlobalGiving’s Climate Action Campaign which begins April 20th! The Climate Action Campaign runs Monday, April 20 to Friday, April 24. During that week, all one-time donations made through GlobalGiving, up to $500 per donor, will be matched at 50% and the initial donation for new recurring monthly gifts will be matched at 150%! The 2 projects that get the most individual donations during that week and 3 others from the top 10 (by popular vote) will be in the 2020 Climate Action Fund cohort and will receive year-long funding. This campaign is driving climate change solutions forward, and we couldn’t be more excited to participate. If you have the means to donate, we would very much appreciate your renewed commitment to climate change with a gift during the Climate Action Campaign, April 20 to April 24. Thanks so much.

There is also so much else you can do for the planet. I want to challenge you to do one thing today. Eat a meatless meal, take a shorter shower, turn off the lights when you leave the room, or lower the thermostat. And most of all, share what you are doing on social media or with your friends so that others can follow suit! We can use the power of social media to our advantage this Earth Day because even though we can’t gather in person, we can all do our part in responding to nature’s plea to do better!

Above all, we hope that you and your families are staying healthy and happy during these times. EESI offers our unconditional support and love to all those affected.

Alpine Flower Of New Zealand

Earth Day 50 is here!

We choose HOPE (TieGuanYin/pixabay)

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Feb 4, 2020
You're helping to curb climate change! Thank you!

By Susan Williams | Director of Development

Wind turbine technician (US Department of Energy)

Thank you for making a difference in the climate crisis giving to EESI's project on Engaging with Congress on Climate Change and Resilience.

In but one example of the difference you are making, please let me tell you about a Congressional briefing and livecast that you helped make possible on a crucial topic—pathways for the United States to deeply cut greenhouse gas emissions to help solve the climate crisis.

Featuring expert legal scholars, you made possible a briefing that discussed legal ways in which the U.S. can move towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, as scientists say we need to do.

These emission cuts are critical in a warming world--you were crucial in bringing this expertise and knowledge to policymakers so that they can connect the dots and move forward with federal policy changes. This knowledge comes at a vital time as the House of Representatives bipartisan Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will be issuing a report soon.

You helped bring forward the Legal Pathways report to Congressional attention—thank you! The report outlines a myriad of recommendations as to how decarbonization legislation can be generated and implemented at a community, agency, and Congressional level, to fight climate change head on. The agriculture and transportation sectors were two main topics of discussion among the panelists at the briefing.

For example, Amy Stein, Professor of Law at the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida, emphasized how critical it is to change our gas-powered utility vehicles to ones that are electric or powered by biogas, a renewable energy source.

The briefing was positive and the panelists full of energy as they discussed just how beneficial decarbonization will be not just from an environmental standpoint, but both a social and economic standpoint as well.

As discussed in the lively Q&A portion of the briefing, the two fastest growing job categories in the US are solar installers and wind service technicians. Addressing climate change is not only critical for our planet, but also beneficial to our economy!

EESI has long taken the message that a healthy environment and a healthy economy go hand in hand—and you’ve been a critical part of bringing that message to decisionmakers.

Thank you again for your commitment to climate change solutions. You help make all this possible, including all our plans for 2020, a crucial year for near-term opportunities and building a toolkit for federal climate policy next year and beyond.

Panelist Amy Stein speaking at the briefing

Electric car (mmurphy/pixabay)

Solar panels

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Nov 4, 2019
You've made so much possible in just a month!

By Daniel Bresette | Executive Director

Thank you so much from all of us at EESI!

Hi there,

You are invaluable. It’s been just over a month since I’ve become the Executive Director of EESI, and already I can see how important you are--thank you! Your generosity powers climate solutions, both here in Washington and in work to spur energy innovation work in 12 states across the country.

You are invaluable. It’s been just a month since I’ve become the Executive Director of EESI, and already I can see how important you are--thank you! Your generosity powers climate solutions, both here in Washington and in work to spur energy innovation work in 12 states across the country.

Just this month, you powered my testimony before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on domestic and international opportunities to advance energy efficiency. This important hearing inspired Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to tweet:

"Even small changes to improve #EnergyEfficiency can make a big difference. In the small Southeast Alaskan town of Yukatat, the elementry school made the change to energy efficient lighting & saved nearly $70,000 a year -- enough to cover a teacher's salary, for example."

Senator Murkowski and the committee’s ranking member, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), have prioritized energy efficiency in their work to address climate change. The bipartisan duo teamed up over the summer to introduce a bill to improve the energy efficiency of federal buildings. The Senate Energy Committee recently approved that legislation and a number of other bills on energy efficiency, storage, research and development, and workforce development that could be voted on later this year.

News like this doesn’t usually make the headlines -- but as I said in my testimony, enacting these bills would be a big win. You and I both know there are barriers to swift action, to say the least, but we can’t give up, and I’m so grateful to have you on the team!

And did you know you’re powering an important linkage between federal policy work and on-the-ground technical assistance to resource-strapped utilities in struggling rural areas? Because of you, EESI worked closely with USDA, which has released $75 million in zero-interest financing to rural utilities across America.

That helps struggling families pay for their energy bills, while driving down carbon emissions. That’s so important because low-income families sometimes have to choose between paying their energy bills and paying for other necessities, such as food and medicine. You’ve helped expand programs like this to rural communities across 12 states. Only 38 states to go with your continued support!

I’m so grateful. Your support is so important in this urgent time. Simply put, you bring climate solutions to light.

If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can reach me at dbresette@eesi.org or 202-662-1881. It would be such a pleasure to hear from you.

Thank you again,

Daniel Bresette
Executive Director

Photo of me testifying before the Senate

Tweet Senator Murkowski sent during my testimony.

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