Update from the Director

The summer has sped by and we are now facing a final sprint in the Congress before the November elections. While there has been much activity in the Congress, finding adequate agreement in the Senate to pass any significant climate and energy legislation has been elusive, at best. Instead there has been marked opposition to taking action that could make a huge difference to Americans who are concerned about our loss of international competitiveness, our unrelenting reliance upon oil (and the export of hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for it), national security, increasing energy bills, air and water quality, and climate change.

During the past few months, we once again have been clobbered with so many extreme weather events across our country and around the world, doing enormous damage and creating tremendous hardship and human suffering. Has this become the new norm? It was extremely sobering when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its State of the Climate report in late July and said that the “lines of evidence all point to the same conclusion: our planet is warming.” Each decade since 1980 has been warmer than the last. And of course, the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico underscores the fact that climate change is but one of many dangers posed by our use of fossil fuels.

But the good news is that there are multiple societal benefits to transitioning away from fossil fuels – and EESI has been working steadfastly with policymakers to develop such “win-win” solutions. Our Congressional briefings are one of the key ways in which we do this. Since the beginning of the year, EESI has held 23 briefings. And the Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Expo held on May 27 showcased dozens of exciting technologies that are in the marketplace already – they can make a huge difference in our homes, businesses and public institutions if we put consistent policies in place that place a value on low-carbon, efficient, clean energy technologies. This would create an economic energy transformation that could once again propel us to be the strong international technology leader we have been.

EESI brings forward voices from many disciplines to help better inform the policy debate with credible information and sensible and innovative solutions. It is always so exciting to work with so many wonderful, insightful people from across the country – and indeed the globe – who are committed to building a sustainable world. Thank you for helping us.

Carol Werner
Executive Director

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