Rapid Readout: The Future of FEMA

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a Rapid Readout about the status of reform efforts for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Trump Administration and Congress are considering changes to pre-disaster preparedness, disaster response, and post-disaster recovery. This readout provided background on why FEMA reforms are on the table, unpack how communities could be affected, and outline the most prominent proposal, the bipartisan Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025 (H.R.4669). It also described what has happened to date with the FEMA Review Council, established by Executive Order 14180 in January 2025.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about pathways for industrial decarbonization. Materials like steel, iron, and cement form the backbone of U.S. industry, and have long been a symbol of U.S. innovation and prosperity. The production of these materials, as well as chemicals and plastics, often requires extremely high temperatures typically achieved by burning fossil fuels. The industrial sector is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, representing 30% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and is projected to be the largest by 2035.  This briefing identified opportunities for industrial emissions reductions—such as electrification and material reuse. Panelists also highlighted how key players from the federal government and private sector come together to advance deployable innovations like green steel and carbon-negative concrete. Attendees left with an understanding of industrial decarbonization efforts that also boost American competitiveness and create a more resilient economy and climate.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about policy solutions to meet the reliability, resilience, and affordability challenges facing the U.S. energy grid. The grid underpins modern life—enabling economic activity, supporting national security, and powering everything from basic necessities in homes to critical infrastructure like hospitals and transportation. Today, the grid’s stability is being tested like never before. Aging infrastructure, extreme weather, and unprecedented increases in electricity demand could soon overwhelm generation and transmission capacity and outpace states and utility planners. These challenges hit home, from higher energy bills for consumers to rolling blackouts that leave communities vulnerable during heat waves, wildfires, winter storms, and hurricanes.  This briefing outlined policy options and technological innovations to address these challenges. Panelists expanded on several aspects of grid modernization, including the buildout of new transmission lines, bringing online new power generation and energy storage capacity, and improving energy efficiency. They also described the state of permitting reform in the 119th Congress. Attendees left this briefing with a better understanding of the imperatives and multiple benefits of an environmentally and economically sustainable energy grid to power the 21st century.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing discussing the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change in federal policy-making. While AI can aid in climate resilience and boost economic competitiveness, it is also on a trajectory to increase energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, and water usage. This paradox presents an important opportunity for discussion on how to best minimize the negative impacts of AI on the environment and harness its powers for a sustainable future.  This briefing provided a foundational understanding of AI’s role in the climate and energy arena. Panelists discussed the massive energy and water needs of data centers that run AI algorithms. They also layed out how the technology is already being put to use—from precision agriculture to resilient grid infrastructure and improved weather forecasting. The briefing highlighted the frontiers of AI, including the federal government’s role in research and development at the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories, and explored Congress’s role in aligning the rapid rise of AI development and usage with global goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Ohio River Basin Alliance held a briefing outlining how policymakers and community stakeholders can help restore the health of the Ohio River. The Ohio River is an important driver of economic growth for the six states it runs through—Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. It also supplies drinking water for more than 30 million people. However, impacted by toxic waste and sewage, mining and agricultural runoff, and inadequate water infrastructure, the Ohio River is considered one of the most heavily polluted rivers in the country. It also faces conservation challenges, from habitat loss to the spread of invasive species. This briefing unpacked the challenges and opportunities embedded in increasing the health and resilience of the Ohio River Basin. In particular, panelists addressed the disproportionate impact of both pollution and flooding on economically disadvantaged communities. Policymakers left with an understanding of how collaboration between community stakeholders, industry, and federal, state, and local governments advances pollution remediation work, conservation efforts, and climate resilience projects. 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Federation of American Scientists held a briefing about how federal policies can bolster resilience to extreme heat at the state and community level. Communities are experiencing hotter, more frequent, and more prolonged periods of record-breaking heat. Not only does extreme heat have immediate public health ramifications (heat-related deaths have more than doubled since 1999), it also exacerbates drought and wildfire risk, harms crops and livestock, and strains energy systems. Together, these impacts cost the United States an estimated $162 billion in 2024.  This briefing highlighted the Federation of American Scientists’ 2025 Heat Policy Agenda, which outlines policy considerations for Congress and the Administration to prevent infrastructure damage, economic impacts, and loss of life from heat. Speakers described opportunities to safeguard critical infrastructure such as our energy systems, improve productivity, and improve federal and subnational coordination on heat preparedness, management, and resilience.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing focused on the past, present, and future of the U.S. highway system. Since the end of World War II, Congress has paved the way for thousands of miles of roadways to connect U.S. towns and cities and foster economic activity. But highways have divided us as much as they have connected us. Multilane roads have bisected communities, made it hard to get around without personal vehicles, and even prevented wildlife from moving within habitats. Highways have also come with an ever-increasing price tag, with $62 billion allocated to the Federal Highway Administration for maintenance, repair, and expansion in fiscal year 2025. This briefing highlighted how the country’s highways can be maintained in the context of a changing climate, from increasing preparedness for extreme weather events to building out electric vehicle charging corridors. Panelists highlighted opportunities for federal policy to help relocate highways to reconnect communities, use cool pavement and climate-smart building materials, and manage toxic runoff from roads. The briefing also identified opportunities to optimize federal funding to improve the way the country’s highways connect people.

Railways play a key role in American transportation and commerce, moving 28% of U.S. goods and tens of thousands of people across the country every day. The United States boasts 140,000 miles of freight rail lines underpinning an $80 billion industry that employs roughly 167,000 people. Meanwhile, Amtrak, the primary provider of U.S. passenger rail connecting people across rural and urban America, reported record ridership in fiscal year 2024 with 32.8 million passengers. From the crucial Northeast passenger rail corridor to the nation’s largest freight hub in Chicago, rail has the potential to play a key role in a decarbonized transportation sector by displacing emissions from cars, trucks, and planes.  This Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) briefing explored the past, current, and future role of rail in the U.S. transportation sector and highlighted key rail programs under the surface transportation bill. Speakers also described opportunities to modernize railways through electrification, faster trains, track expansion, and safety improvements.

Welcome to a new twist on the typical EESI Congressional briefing: EESI Rapid Readouts! Things are happening faster than ever, and you need information quickly. These 30-minute interactive Readouts bring you what you need to know, when you need to know it.  This Readout will answer your questions on the mechanics of reconciliation, how the process could unfold in the coming months, and how the package moving through Congress could affect clean energy tax incentives and other funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and more. To learn about the basics of budget reconciliation, as well as the annual appropriations process, watch or read the highlight notes from EESI’s February 2025 briefing, Understanding the Budget, Reconciliation, and Appropriations. We are here to help you answer questions from your boss and constituents. Let us know what climate, energy, and environmental topics you want to see us cover in future Rapid Readouts by emailing us here. 

Welcome to a new twist on the typical EESI Congressional briefing: EESI Rapid Readouts! Things are happening faster than ever, and you need information quickly. These 30-minute, interactive Readouts will bring you what you need to know, when you need to know it. This venerable U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program is best known by its distinctive blue logo, which helps consumers choose high-efficiency appliances and electronics that save them money. But ENERGY STAR is much more than that, and it underpins countless federal, state, and local energy efficiency initiatives. This Readout provided background on the bipartisan origins and heritage of ENERGY STAR and described the many benefits the program delivers to households and businesses, including retailers, developers, and utilities.