The Tennessee River | Resilient and Healthy River Communities Series

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about Congress’s role in bolstering the long-term resilience, investability, and insurability of U.S. communities. Insurance premiums have increased by an average of 21% since 2015, and almost 67% of U.S. homes are underinsured. This raises significant questions about the ability of American households to affordably manage the risks they face from increasingly severe and frequent disasters like wildfires and storm-induced flooding. This briefing explored the basics of property insurance and how it functions in the United States, including the challenges faced by individuals, businesses, insurers, and reinsurers. It also featured existing and emerging tools—from parametric insurance to climate endorsements—that are reshaping how insurance products can better serve communities. Panelists described the role of federal policy in advancing these new ways of thinking about insurance. At this briefing, Woodwell Climate Research Center also be launched a new report, Rebuilding Insurance for a Climate Future: A Policy Guide to Understand Tools, Address Inequities, and Find Solutions.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), the American Public Health Association, and Transportation for America held a briefing about the public health implications of transportation policy. As Congress embarks on the surface transportation reauthorization process, policymakers have the opportunity to revisit federal policies and investments that also shape public health, prosperity, and climate outcomes.  This briefing explored the nexus of transportation, public health, and climate change. Panelists described potential negative health outcomes, stemming from issues like air pollution and road crashes. The briefing also provided policy, process, and funding solutions that weave public health considerations into the surface transportation reauthorization process in a way that benefits both people and climate.

Hosted in coordination with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses and the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) held a briefing about the 13th edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. The Factbook provides valuable year-over-year data and insights on the U.S. energy transformation, featuring an in-depth look at the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and natural gas sectors, as well as transmission, digitalization, microgrids, offshore wind, hydrogen, and renewable natural gas. This year, the Factbook dives into the growing energy demand driven by data centers and artificial intelligence. It examines trends in clean energy supply chains, growth in domestic manufacturing, and the ways in which permitting and siting impact the deployment of renewable energy. Panelists spoke to key takeaways from the 2025 Factbook and what they mean for industries working in all facets of the energy transition. The Factbook, published by BloombergNEF and BCSE, launched on February 20, and is available to download for free at www.bcse.org/factbook.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a start-of-the-new-Congress briefing series, Climate Camp. We reviewed climate science, cutting-edge innovations, and the role of the legislative process in climate mitigation and adaptation. The surface transportation bill reauthorizes federal highway, transit, and rail funding and programs every five years. This final briefing of EESI’s Congressional Climate Camp series provided a breakdown of everything decision-makers need to know ahead of the bill’s next reauthorization in 2026.  Panelists described the transportation bill’s history, including bipartisan cooperation, climate-related provisions, and external stakeholder engagement. Looking ahead, the briefing explained the general timeline for the reauthorization, the bill’s jurisdiction, and key issues across bill titles. The briefing also shared on-the-ground climate success stories from the most recent reauthorization—the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing highlighting strategies for improving the resilience and restoring the health of the Colorado River and its tributaries. The Colorado River basin serves as an essential source of agricultural, residential, and commercial water for communities and tribes in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and California as well as our neighbors across the border in Mexico. However, the river faces severe water stress, resulting in dwindling reservoirs. This water stress, exacerbated by climate change, threatens to degrade the river and jeopardize the ecosystems dependent on it. This briefing focused on the role of federal policy in supporting stakeholders across the West as they addressed the impacts of drought and water stress through effective water conservation, measurement, and allocation. Panelists discussed the importance of collaboration between tribes, industry, communities, and local and federal government to restore river vitality and ensure equitable water availability for generations to come.

This briefing highlighted the ways in which onshoring the manufacturing of clean energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle components increases American competitiveness, secures U.S. supply chains, and creates jobs. According to the 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, in less than two years, companies announced more than $123 billion in investments in over 100 U.S. manufacturing facilities as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act. These new domestic manufacturing operations are making a diverse set of products—from solar panels and batteries to computer chips and wind turbines—in locations across the country. Research from E2 finds that these manufacturing plants are expected to create 67,000 jobs in rural areas.  Panelists discussed how this growth in domestic manufacturing supports the clean energy transition and helps meet increasing demand, all while reinvesting in the communities in which these factories operate. The briefing also explored recent Congressional actions that spurred this manufacturing boom, as well as possible policy opportunities to leverage the momentum.  View the full briefing series at eesi.org/2025climatecamps.

This briefing explained the processes, rules, and norms that underpin the budget, reconciliation, and appropriations debates happening right now on Capitol Hill. It explored the relationship between the presidential budget, annual appropriations, and budget reconciliation. Panelists described the different stages of the appropriations cycle and how the process interfaces with other legislative activity on the Hill. The briefing highlighted ways Congressional staff—working both on and off the budget and appropriations committees—can engage with the conversations on fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations, FY2026 appropriations, and budget reconciliation.

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 view our start-of-the-new-Congress briefing series, Climate Camp. We review climate science, cutting-edge innovations, and the role of the legislative process in climate mitigation and adaptation. EESI’s first Climate Camp briefing served as an interactive refresher on the drivers of climate change and the latest deployable solutions to address the challenge. This Congress, topics such as agriculture, infrastructure, and national security will be front and center. The briefing covered climate concepts and terminology—from types of greenhouse gases to renewable energy technologies—to help you identify policy solutions at the intersection of these issue areas. At this briefing, panelists showcased tools—like the EN-ROADS simulator, co-developed by MIT Sloan and Climate Interactive—that staff can use to easily digest climate data and generate policy ideas. They also highlighted federal agency resources essential to understanding the climate challenge and innovative solutions to address it.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation strategies in the Columbia River basin. The Columbia, which winds through British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington state, is an important source of food, drinking water, irrigation, recreation, and clean energy for the Pacific Northwest. However, the effects of climate change have created and exacerbated problems like estuarine habitat loss, toxic algal blooms, low water levels, and diminished fish populations, highlighting the importance of finding science-based solutions to these issues. This briefing also discussed the outcomes of the Uncommon Dialogue, which brought together tribes, national and local government, the hydropower industry, and river conservation stakeholders to identify shared approaches to steward river health and safety while ensuring hydropower operations provide clean, affordable energy. Panelists discussed the role of federal investments in the Columbia River’s resilience and health, including Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about strategies to improve biodiversity and river health along the Tennessee River, which winds through Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky. The Tennessee River, one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America, experiences damaging issues ranging from PFAS and plastics to chemical pollution from landfills and manufacturing. These issues threaten both water quality and the health and well-being of the many communities in the river’s watershed. This briefing highlighted the importance of effective enforcement of local, state, and federal clean water laws and regulations. Panelists discussed the role of federal policy-making in boosting river health, as well as opportunities to support biodiversity.