Environmental and Economic Impacts of Super El Niño

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) held a briefing about the benefits of interregional transmission for the economy, climate, and grid reliability. The U.S. electric grid is undergoing unprecedented transformation, driven by rising electricity demand, the growth of renewable energy, and security threats posed by extreme weather and cyberattacks. Building more interregional transmission lines—the cables that move power across different regional grids—can bolster grid resilience and move cleaner, more affordable electricity from lower to higher-priced regions. Yet planning for interregional transmission has lagged behind regional transmission planning, and implementation gaps remain. This briefing explored policy levers and best practices for long-term, future-proof interregional transmission planning. Panelists discussed the current state of interregional transmission, and outlined the regulatory and institutional hurdles to progress. The briefing also identified emerging policy solutions—pulling from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2024 regional transmission framework as a model—for lawmakers, federal regulators, and regional grid operators alike that can save ratepayers money and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about the environmental and economic impacts of Super El Niño. El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs every few years when the ocean waters of the equatorial Pacific warm beyond normal temperatures. The 2026-2027 Super El Niño is projected to be the largest in 150 years and is expected to result in more frequent and intense extreme weather events across the United States and the world. This briefing examined the meteorological causes and anticipated impacts of Super El Niño, including flooding, droughts, extreme heat, wildfires, and severe winter storms.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) held a briefing about tracking and reducing agricultural nitrous oxide, a major greenhouse gas. Nitrogen is a key component in fertilizer, making it critical to food security. Unfortunately, due to overapplication, only about half of nitrogen fertilizer is actually absorbed by crops. This leads to high levels of nitrous oxide emissions and threatens drinking water, ecosystems, and public health. Nitrous oxide has a global warming potential 273 times greater than carbon dioxide over 100 years and is the primary driver of stratospheric ozone depletion, increasing UV exposure and associated health risks. Nitrous oxide measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification mechanisms are essential to reducing these emissions and supporting profitable and sustainable farm management. This briefing showcased findings from a new research roadmap that identifies opportunities for measuring and reducing agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Panelists pinpointed areas of innovation, as well as opportunities for reducing uncertainty, improving accuracy, bringing down costs for farmers, and reducing nitrogen loss from fields. The briefing also helped policymakers identify research and development needs, and highlighted the role of federal and state legislatures in improving environmental, economic, and public health across the country. 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a Rapid Readout on the far-reaching implications of intensive drought across the country. For example, in the West, a lack of rain and snow this past winter, along with record-high temperatures, has sparked fears of a long wildfire season. In addition, a record-low snowpack means less water for reservoirs, which could lead to water shortages during the summer months, affecting economic activity, hydropower generation, and agriculture. This Rapid Readout connected the dots between this year’s water shortage and the broader multi-year megadrought in the West, and discussed the role of federal policymaking in safeguarding communities from impacts and generating long-term solutions.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a Rapid Readout about the recently announced reorganization and restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service. Housed within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service manages nearly 200 million acres of federal land, mostly in western states. Because the service’s focus is primarily on the West, the Administration is proposing to move the agency’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah. It also intends to reorganize staff into state hubs and eliminate 57 research labs. The Rapid Readout explored how these changes could impact decades of science, including key climate-related forest research. The session also covered the implications of the reorganization on both wildfire preparedness and response and annual budget and appropriation conversations. 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and American Rivers held a briefing about America’s most pressing water infrastructure challenges, and solutions to close the gap between investment needs and reliable water services. Today, U.S. waterways—and our drinking water—are vulnerable to aging infrastructure, stormwater and sewage overflows, and extreme weather. In January 2026, Washington, D.C., saw the consequences of such aging infrastructure when a sewer line collapsed, discharging 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River—one of the largest spills in U.S. history. This briefing convened practitioners and policy experts who presented innovative policy and financing solutions—from smart monitoring systems to credit trading—to improve water infrastructure across the country. Panelists also highlighted key existing programs, like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which help states catalyze water innovation and address water affordability.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and Climate Central held a briefing to discuss a key underpinning of the U.S. economy: publicly-available weather and climate data. Federal data is used as an input to weather models that are essential to public safety and helps businesses—from farms and insurance companies to airlines and utilities—make daily decisions. Historically, Congress has played a central role in directing federal agencies to collect, analyze, and report weather and climate data. But today, hundreds of federal scientific datasets and reports, like the national climate assessments, have been removed from public access, altered, or buried. Popular climate webpages (e.g., climate.gov and EJScreen) have been taken down or archived.  In this new information environment, universities, nonprofits, and national associations are stepping up to fill the gaps in maintaining weather and climate data left by the federal government. Panelists shared where to look for these datasets and explore how these organizations are maintaining public access to critical information without the resources afforded by the federal government. They also described the implications of these changes for end users, from individuals using weather apps to multinational corporations making significant business decisions. 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) held a briefing about readily-available solutions to help reduce energy costs for homes and small businesses. Together, rising energy demand, extreme weather events, and aging infrastructure are straining the U.S. electric grid, leaving homes and small businesses to feel the impacts of higher utility bills. With U.S. electricity prices having risen an average of 40% since 2020, affordability is now at the center of many conversations on energy policy. Upgrades to heating and cooling systems, insulation, and a wide range of household appliances can add up to cost-effective energy improvements that boost comfort in harsh weather, uplift consumer confidence, expand freedom of choice, and give consumers more control over their utility bills. Appliances with the ENERGY STAR® label, for example, can save a single household $450 annually. This briefing convened experts from around the country with on-the-ground experience in bolstering energy efficiency and delivering savings to consumers. These panelists explored the benefits of energy-saving solutions available to households and small businesses. They also identified key federal programs that support these initiatives, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program.

One year after the catastrophic wildfires that blazed through southern California, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) invite you to a briefing on emerging solutions to tackle the wildfire crisis, and the federal policy strategies for getting these solutions into the field. Communities nationwide are experiencing longer wildfire seasons and more intense, destructive wildfires. Hotter and drier weather, decades of fire over-suppression leading to the buildup of flammable materials, and increasing development in and around fire-prone areas have transformed wildfire—once a natural and sustainable part of American landscapes—into a major threat. From California to New Jersey, wildfires are taking a toll—costing the United States up to $424 billion annually and displacing tens of thousands of people. This briefing will highlight efforts to address this crisis, including wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery policies and innovations in the United States. Panelists will identify evidence-backed approaches—from smart zoning and upgraded building codes to fuels management and early detection—and the role of federal policy in supporting the rapid development and cost-effective implementation of these tactics at scale. Attendees will leave this briefing with an understanding of how to strengthen wildfire mitigation efforts, bolster community wildfire resilience, ease the strain on emergency services, and save taxpayer dollars.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) held a briefing on commonsense technologies and solutions to keep energy costs low and meet rising demand. The rapid growth in energy demand from data centers has raised energy affordability conversations in households across the country. And on Capitol Hill, energy affordability might be the major theme of energy policy discussions. This panel covered a broad portfolio of commercially-available technologies and resources—from energy efficiency to renewable energy to natural gas—that are essential to understand in order to ensure that the U.S. energy system can continue to grow and promote domestic prosperity, encourage innovation, and provide opportunities for economic development. The briefing shared new findings from the 2026 edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. The Factbook provides valuable year-over-year data and insights on the U.S. energy transformation. It examines trends in data centers and artificial intelligence along with the ways in which permitting and siting as well as federal appropriations impact the deployment of modern energy solutions. The report also features an in-depth look at key topics including demand-side energy resources, renewable energy, natural gas, energy storage, and sustainable transportation.