About Us

Founded by a bipartisan group of members of Congress, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) has worked since 1984 to provide science-based educational resources to policymakers and the public. An independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EESI seeks to advance science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges in order to achieve our vision of a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world.

EESI serves as a trusted source of credible, nonpartisan, science-based information about energy and environmental topics and climate change solutions. Each year, EESI produces more than 20 Congressional briefings, 35 newsletters, and 100 articles, as well as fact sheets, issue briefs, and podcast episodes. Tens of thousands of people watch our briefings and read our newsletters each year. All EESI resources are always free and available online.

Since 2010, EESI has provided free technical assistance to help dozens of rural utilities across the country develop and implement inclusive on-bill financing programs for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and beneficial electrification. EESI has also worked with many of these utilities to apply for more than $260 million in zero-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy Savings Program to expand access to clean energy in rural communities.

EESI shares a commitment to climate action with the next generation and supports their education with paid, substantive internships in Washington, D.C., as well as college scholarships. We strongly encourage improved diversity and representation in climate policy. To help guide our work across everything we do and ensure alignment with our mission and vision, EESI adopted diversity, equity, and inclusion as core EESI values. 

Our Strategies

Our team is committed to advancing science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges to achieve a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world.

EESI is governed by a diverse board of directors made up of environmental, business, academic, and former political leaders.

EESI is fortunate to have an Advisory Board that includes government officials, professors, scientists, nonprofit leaders, and business executives.

EESI's history dates back to 1975, when then-U.S. Rep. Richard L. “Dick” Ottinger and a bipartisan group of his colleagues established the Environmental and Energy Study Conference. The Conference was the largest legislative service organization of its time, boasting peak membership of 295 representatives and 85 senators. The most popular educational resource produced by the Conference was its Weekly Bulletin, fondly known as the “Green Sheet,” which provided regular updates about hearings and proposed legislation.

Following a change in Congressional rules in the early 1980s, EESI was founded as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to take the place of the Conference and continue its work. EESI receives no Congressional funding, despite our origins as a bipartisan, bicameral Congressional caucus. 

In 1988, EESI released a policy statement declaring that the “emergence of the global warming problem creates an imperative for action that cannot be ignored” because the “failure to act could well bring economic, environmental, and human disaster previously unimagined.” Therefore, EESI concluded, it was necessary to examine all energy policy options through a climate change lens—a principle that continues to guide us today.