Spotlight Articles

2008

EESI Receives Charity Navigator's Top Rating for
Third Consecutive Year

For the third consecutive year, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute was rewarded with the highest rating of 4-stars for its sound fiscal management by Charity Navigator—an independent organization that evaluates the financial health of charity organizations. We are extremely proud to have once again received this high rating. It indicates that EESI exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities working in the field of environmental protection and conservation. Only 10 percent of charities in America have been awarded 4-stars for three consecutive years.

To learn how to support EESI's work, please click here.
To see the Charity Navigator rating of EESI, please click here.

October 2008

Congress Finally Passes Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Tax Credits
October 2008

USGS Releases First Geothermal Resource Assessment in 30 Years
October 2008

Research shows carbon dioxide emissions have grown since 2000, confirms China as top emitter.
September 2008

Senate Letter Highlights Public Transportation as Energy-Saving Tool

EESI worked with many diverse transportation interests to organize a letter in support of S.3380, a bill sponsored by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY).  A Senate hearing featuring transit and this bill was held September 9. Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act (S.3380) is the companion bill of House legislation (H.R. 6052) which passed this summer. The bill would provide $1.7 billion to expand and improve transit service over the next two years. Funds also could be used to keep transit fares affordable at a time when transit systems across the country are reporting double-digit increases in ridership. Elements of the bill may be included in energy legislation being considered before Congress adjourns.

September 2008

EPA Denies Renewable Fuel Standard Waiver Request
August 2008

EESI mourns the loss of John F. Seiberling, eight term Ohio Congressman and EESI Board Member.
August 2008

EESI fact sheet describes advantages of and challenges facing plug-in electric vehicles -- a potential part of the solution to high gas prices and global climate change.
August 2008

EESI publishes fact sheet on recent polling on public perceptions of climate change.
August 2008

EESI's Carol Werner clarifies the climate impacts of biofuels in Solar Today article
Resolving the Biofuels Dilemma.
July 2008

EESI fact sheet highlights the progress being made in the production of cellulosic biofuels across the country -- 55 cellulosic biorefineries are in the works in 31 different states.
July 2008

EESI's Jetta Wong testifies before Congress about the Renewable Fuel Standard's definition of renewable biomass
July 2008

Former Vice President Al Gore challenges America to move to 100% carbon-free electricity production
in 10 years
July 2008

EESI publishes fact sheets on federal and private forests and the definition of renewable biomass in the federal Renewable Fuel Standard
July 2008


Did you know . . . .  ??

U.S. wind power accounted for 30 percent of all new power generation in the United States last year; wind energy could supply at least 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs by 2030 while creating 500,000 new jobs and avoiding 7.6 cumulative gigatons of CO2.

Six million Americans are using geothermal energy in their homes – three million receive electricity from geothermal power plants and another three million use geothermal heat pumps to heat & cool their homes; new geothermal power now under development in the U.S. will roughly double the county’s geothermal capacity.

Ethanol will reduce U.S. petroleum demand by 130,000 barrels/day in 2008; the 6.5 billion gallons of ethanol produced last year provided employment for 238,000 workers, added $47.6 billion to the nation’s GDP, and put an additional $12.3 billion into the pockets of American consumers; moreover, cellulosic ethanol is projected to boom during the coming decade.

Learn more about the latest developments and future potential of these and other technologies at the 11th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum to be held on July 31 in Washington, D.C.

July 2008

EESI Briefing Highlights Inexpensive Building Material with Exceptional Insulation Properties

Numerous reports point to energy efficiency as the most cost effective strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and target the building sector as the greatest opportunity for saving energy.  Almost half of the energy we produce in the United States goes into the construction, lighting, heating, and cooling of our homes and buildings and the operation of appliances and electronics.  Governments, utilities, developers, investors, and building owners are starting to realize that saving energy is an energy resource.   

But saving energy doesn’t always require high-tech solutions.  Speakers at a recent EESI briefing showed that plastered straw-bale walls can have R-values of 30 and higher (up to 113 in one example), greatly reducing the need for heating or air conditioning, even in harsh climates.  This means fewer greenhouse gas emissions and lower utility bills.  Straw is an inexpensive, widely available resource and its construction requires the use of local labor, making it a promising building strategy for many Native American communities with high unemployment and substandard housing that costs a fortune to heat and cool.  Other benefits of straw-bale construction include better indoor air quality and excellent earthquake resistance.

July 2008

DOE Announces Second Round of Solicitations for $30.5 Billion in Federal Loan Guarantees
July 2008

Short-Term Funding for Public Transportation Overwhelmingly Passes House
June 2008

House Committee Focuses on Smart Development and Transportation Choices as Responses to Energy Costs and Climate Change
June 2008

EESI's Jetta Wong Testifies Before U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe on Biofuels, Sustainability and Food Crisis Concerns
May 2008

EESI Congratulates Board Member Rosina Bierbaum on Selection by World Bank to Co-Direct World Development Report 2010
April 2008

Plug-in Hybrids Come to Capitol Hill
April 2008

EESI Chairman of the Board Responds to New York Times' Paul Krugman on Biofuels
April 2008

EESI Applauds U.S. Senate Vote to Extend Renewable Energy Tax Credits
On April 10, as part of the housing foreclosure prevention bill, the Senate overwhelmingly adopted (88-8) an amendment sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Ensign (R-NV) to extend the Production Tax Credit for one year, Solar Investment Tax Credit for eight years, as well as other renewable and energy efficiency tax measures. Long-term policy stability is critical for the retention and expansion of the renewable industry. This vote is a vital first step.
April 2008

EESI Mourns the Loss of Advisory Board Member
America lost a true hero when Milton R. Copulos died last week.
March 2008

EESI Gives EISA Presentation at the National League of Cities’ Congressional Conference (pdf)
EESI's Policy Director Ellen Vaughan presented a summary of provisions in the new Energy Security and Independence Act that, if funded, will have a positive impact on local governments that are trying to reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. NLC delegates visited Capitol Hill on March 11th to advocate for full funding ($2 billion) of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program in FY ’09 appropriations.
March 2008

EESI, Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses and U.S. State Department Host Parliamentarian Luncheon in Conjunction with the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008 (WIREC)
March 2008

EESI's Carol Werner Testifies Before U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on the Renewable Fuel Standard, Expresses Concern Over Definition of Excluded Biomass
February 2008

Economic Stimulus and the Power of Green Jobs: Labor Department, Congress, Presidential Candidates See Potential in Green Industries to Stimulate the U.S. Economy, Create Quality Jobs
January 2008

EESI Welcomes New Policy Director Ellen Vaughan
January 2008

2007

EESI Senior Policy Associate Jetta Wong Attends Global Dialog on Agrofuels and Agriculture Policies
in Berlin, Germany
December 2007

Senate Energy Bill Important Step But More Action Urgently Needed (pdf)
December 2007

Agreement Reached at Bali Climate Talks
December 2007

EESI Board Member Roger Duncan Leads Initiative to Develop Tool to Simply Carbon Reduction Priorities for Utilities, Businesses and Governments
October 2007