Hello and welcome to Climate Change Solutions!

Yesterday marked the first day of autumn, and in D.C., we’re eagerly awaiting cooler weather so we can finally break out our favorite sweaters. This issue of Climate Change Solutions features a Vermont program that helps households stay warm and comfortable while lowering their energy bills. We’ve also brought back our podcast, The Climate Conversation, for season 10, and as Fall Fashion Week migrates from New York City to London, we sit down with Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) to talk about her work on the Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus.

But we’re not shedding all of the challenges of the summer—we’re about halfway through 2025’s hurricane season. As Hurricane Gabrielle crawls northward off the Atlantic coast, this issue also spotlights how tide gauges are helping coastal communities boost their resilience to devastating floods.

Finally, join EESI this Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the Rayburn Gold Room for a briefing about the intersection of artificial intelligence and climate and energy. For details, keep scrolling, and RSVP here!

Vermont Weatherization Program Helps Residents Cut Energy Costs and Pollution
[6 min. read]

Vermont’s Weatherization Repayment Assistance Program (WRAP) allows households to install energy-efficient upgrades. WRAP offers no-money-down financing, and does not require a credit score for participation. [click for more]

Senate Tosses Toxic Algae Bill to the House: The Senate passed the bipartisan Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments (HABHRCA) Act of 2025 (S.93). Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) reintroduced the bill, which reauthorizes the original HABHRCA Act of 1998, to support federal and state government responses to harmful algal blooms. These algal blooms occur in all 50 states and threaten coastal economies and ecosystems. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) lead companion legislation (H.R.644) in the House. 

Wildfire Resilience Spreads from Senate to House: The Senate also passed the Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025 (S.306). Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) lead the bill, which aims to establish a Fire Weather Services program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and authorize funding for the development of innovative wildfire forecasting technologies. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. 

Water Infrastructure Bill Flows to Senate: The House passed the Water Resources Technical Assistance Review Act (H.R.3427), which aims to ensure the availability of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) water infrastructure resources for small, rural, and economically disadvantaged communities. The bill, led by Reps. David Taylor (R-Ohio), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), and Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), mandates a report on the EPA’s work on clean water technical assistance. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. 

Committee Advances Community Resilience Bill: The House Committee on Natural Resources passed the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025 (H.R.528). Reps. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) and Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) reintroduced the bill, which would bolster recovery and resilience efforts in communities struck by natural disasters.

We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for September 8-12 and September 15-19.

Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Energy and the Environment
Thursday, September 25
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online

This briefing will discuss the climate and energy challenges and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence (AI)—from the massive energy and water needs of data centers that run AI algorithms to how AI can support precision agriculture, resilient grid infrastructure, and improved weather forecasting. Panelists will also highlight AI research and development at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratories, and identify Congress’s role in aligning the rapid rise of AI with global goals to mitigate and adapt to climate change. RSVP here.

Powering Up: Improving Energy Grid Reliability and Resilience to Lower Energy Bills
Thursday, October 9
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online

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. Panelists at this briefing will outline policy options and technological innovations to address these challenges, dive into various aspects of grid modernization, and describe 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.
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.

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.

Latest Media Coverage

• Our article on data center water use was cited in pieces by CBC, The Houston Chronicle, Yahoo News, and others.
• CBS News cited EESI's 2019 fact sheet on fossil fuel subsidies in an article on which form of energy is the cheapest.
• The Cool Down cited our 2021 fact sheet on the health consequences of fossil fuels in an article about a new wind farm in Scotland.