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October 8, 2025
Hello and welcome to Climate Change Solutions!
Shutdown or not, you can count on EESI to continue to share climate, energy, and environmental solutions from across the country. This issue, we’re highlighting methods for critical mineral circularity, efforts to revitalize U.S. rivers, and one chef who wants to decarbonize the kitchen.
Don’t forget to join EESI online this Thursday at 3:30 p.m. for a briefing about solutions to the reliability, resilience, and affordability challenges facing the U.S. energy grid. Scroll down for details, and RSVP here!
From Scrap to Supply: Circular Strategies for Critical Minerals [8 min. read]
The United States remains heavily dependent on imports for the critical minerals essential to the clean energy transition and everyday technologies. Secondary recovery and recycling strategies help bolster the domestic critical mineral supply chain by reducing reliance on imports and raw materials, while circumventing many of the environmental harms associated with mining. [click for more]
River Health Is Critical for U.S. Communities: Key Learnings from EESI’s Resilient and Healthy Rivers Briefing Series [9 min. read]
Rivers supply nearly 70% of the country’s drinking water and serve as vital habitats for more than 80% of U.S. species. Yet today, many of these rivers face growing threats from climate change, pollution, water scarcity, and habitat degradation. This article reports out from our Resilient and Healthy Rivers briefing series, which explored practical solutions to revitalize and manage some of the nation’s most important waterways. [click for more]
Podcast: Now We’re Cooking (with Electricity)! Chef Christopher Galarza on Decarbonizing Culinary Spaces [33 min. read]
Whether you are an amateur cook or a professional chef, electrification can help you stand the heat in a kitchen. Chef Christopher Galarza, a 2025 Grist 50 inductee and expert in cooking with electric and induction technology, sat down with EESI to explain why he does not play with fire in his restaurants or at home. [click for more]
Disaster Response Bill Moves to House Floor: The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved the Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act (H.R.744). Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) and eight bipartisan cosponsors reintroduced the bill to boost the administrative capacity of state and local governments to respond to future disasters. If passed, the bill would finance this effort with unused Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance funds, which, under current law, are returned to the Disaster Relief Fund.
House Committee Greenlights Better Buildings: The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure also advanced the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act of 2025 (H.R.501). Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.) reintroduced the bill, which would accelerate and improve the processes for state and local governments to update their building codes and improve buildings’ efficiency and climate resilience. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) introduced the Senate version of the bill (S.388) in February. To learn more about resilient buildings, check out EESI’s panel, “Building Resilience and Comfort,” from our 2025 Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO.
Flood Insurance Bills Inundate the House: The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which covers 95% of residential flood insurance policies in the country, expired on September 30. Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) introduced the NFIP Extension Act of 2026 (S.2946/H.R.5577) to reauthorize NFIP, while Reps. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.), Troy Carter (D-La.), and Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) proposed a short-term extension of the program in H.R.5574. Reps. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) and Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.) also reintroduced the Flood Insurance Transparency Act of 2025 (H.R.5607) and Removing Barriers to Private Flood Insurance Act (H.R.5608) to improve NFIP transparency and increase private sector involvement. To learn more about the NFIP, check out EESI’s briefing on insurance in the age of climate change.
House Looks to Give Water Infrastructure a Boost: Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), David Valadao (R-Calif.), Troy Carter (D-La.), Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), and Brian Mast (R-Fla.) introduced the Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Act (H.R.5566). The bill would reauthorize funding for programs that boost drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure resilience in the face of threats like extreme weather and cyberattacks.
We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for September 22 - 26 and September 29 - October 3.
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 will identify policy options and technologies to address these challenges, dive into various aspects of grid modernization, and outline the state of permitting reform in the 119th Congress. RSVP here.
How Can We Cut Industrial Emissions? Wednesday, October 22 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. (light breakfast provided) Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
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 will identify opportunities for industrial emissions reductions, and highlight how key players from the federal government and private sector come together to advance deployable innovations. These industrial decarbonization efforts boost American competitiveness while creating a more resilient economy and climate. RSVP here.
Rapid Readout: The Future of FEMA Thursday, October 30 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. Online only
We will sit down with Joel Scata, Senior Attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, for a Rapid Readout about the status of FEMA reform efforts. The Trump Administration and Congress are considering changes to pre-disaster preparedness, disaster response, and post-disaster recovery. Joel will provide 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). He will also describe what has happened to date with the FEMA Review Council, established by Executive Order 14180 in January 2025. RSVP here.
Briefing Series: What Congress Needs to Know About COP30 November 4, 5, and 6 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Online only
As world leaders, country negotiators, academics, and nonprofit and private sector representatives flood into Belém, Brazil, for this year’s U.N. climate summit (COP30), our COP briefing series will catch you up on everything you need to know. This year, we’re covering key negotiation topics, efforts around the Global Cooling Pledge, and the intersection of climate and global trade. Learn about the series and RSVP here.
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About EESI
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges to achieve a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world. Founded on a bipartisan basis by members of Congress, EESI has been informing policymakers about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental conservation since 1984.
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