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512 documents from Environmental and Energy Study Institute
TOWARD AN EVIDENCE-BASED NUCLEAR ENERGY POLICY
The provided text consists of speaker biographies for a March 30, 2021, briefing titled 'TOWARD AN EVIDENCE-BASED NUCLEAR ENERGY POLICY'. The participants include Tim Judson of the Nuclear Information And Resource Service, Leona Morgan, an indigenous community organizer, Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear, Ben Wealer from the Berlin Institute of Technology, and physicist Amory Lovins.
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Document type: Briefing
Congressional Climate Camps
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) hosted a 'Congressional Climate Camp' briefing series to provide legislative and political context for U.S. climate policy. The series featured experts discussing historical turning points in federal climate policy, the role of advocacy and stakeholder engagement, the impact of political polarization on compromise, and the interaction between the legislative and executive branches in producing major bills.
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Document type: Briefing
Federal Programs Support Diverse Environmental Workforce Opportunities for Veterans
The document outlines several federal programs that leverage veterans' skills for roles in land management, agriculture, and conservation. Key initiatives include the Veterans Fire Corps for wildland firefighting, the BattleGround to Breaking Ground program for farming and ranching in Texas, and the VetsWork and NOAA Veterans Corps Fisheries programs for natural resource management and habitat restoration across multiple U.S. states.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Autonomous Vehicles: State of the Technology and Potential Role as a Climate Solution
The document examines how autonomous vehicles (AVs) could either reduce or increase greenhouse gas emissions depending on whether they are deployed as shared, electric mass transit or as private, single-occupancy vehicles. While AVs offer potential efficiency gains through 'platooning' and reduced vehicle weight, they risk increasing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and urban sprawl. The brief highlights the necessity of integrating AVs into multimodal urban systems and reviews current testing and regulatory efforts in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
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Document type: Policy brief
Conservation Corps: Pairing Climate Action with Economic Opportunity
Conservation corps in the United States employ youths, veterans, and seniors in environmental restoration and resilience projects. These programs, modeled after the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, provide workforce training in green skills while reducing federal land maintenance costs. Current efforts to expand these programs include President Biden's 2021 Civilian Climate Corps Initiative and various legislative proposals to increase national service positions and funding for reforestation and public land restoration.
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Document type: Fact sheet
inclusive-financing-programs-for-solar-and-electrification
The document examines on-bill financing as a tool to overcome financial barriers to clean energy adoption, specifically for low-and moderate-income (LMI) households and renters. It highlights design features such as using utility payment history instead of credit scores and tying obligations to the utility meter to solve the 'split incentive' problem for renters. The report provides case studies of the Hawaii Green Energy Money Saver (GEM$) and Orcas Power and Light Cooperative's (OPALCO) Switch It Up! programs, demonstrating how these models facilitate the installation of solar PV and beneficial electrification projects while ensuring positive cash flow for participants.
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Document type: Research paper
Climate Change FAQs
The document explains that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are the main drivers of global warming, which has seen average global temperatures rise by about one degree Celsius since 1880. It details the resulting environmental impacts, such as rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, while highlighting the specific vulnerability of the United States to billion-dollar disasters. The text outlines mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency, and discusses the role of international agreements like the Paris Agreement and the influence of climate finance in supporting these transitions.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Conservation Corps: Pairing Climate Action with Economic Opportunity
The document details the evolution of conservation corps in the U.S., from the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps to modern initiatives like the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. It highlights the environmental benefits of these programs, such as reforestation and disaster response, and their economic impact, including workforce development and cost-efficient land management. The text also outlines various funding mechanisms and recent legislative efforts, including President Biden's 2021 executive order for a Civilian Climate Corps Initiative, aimed at scaling up resilience and sustainability efforts.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate Change FAQ
The document explains that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, have increased average global temperatures by approximately one degree Celsius since 1880. It details the resulting impacts, including rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and more severe extreme weather events. The text outlines strategies for mitigation and adaptation, discusses the role of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and describes the efforts of the United States, corporations, and the United Nations to address the crisis.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Congressional Climate Camps
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) hosted a 'Climate Camp' briefing series focusing on the federal budget and appropriations process for fiscal year 2022. The series aimed to provide guidance on utilizing stimulus packages to advance climate action, energy and environment programs, and environmental justice goals during the 117th Congress.
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Document type: Briefing
How Can Revolving Loan Funds Make Our Coasts More Resilient?
The fact sheet explains the structure of revolving loan funds (RLFs) as self-replenishing financing tools that lower financial barriers for environmental improvements. It highlights the Maryland Shore Erosion Control (SEC) RLF, which shifted from 'hard armor' to 'living shoreline' projects, and a feasibility study for a similar RLF in Puget Sound, Washington, aimed at armor removal and structure relocation to combat sea level rise and erosion.
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Document type: Fact sheet
How Can Revolving Loan Funds Make Our Coasts More Resilient?
The document describes revolving loan funds (RLFs) as self-replenishing financing mechanisms that provide low-interest loans to help property owners and municipalities fund environmental improvements. It highlights the Maryland Shore Erosion Control Revolving Loan Fund, which has provided approximately 700 loans over 52 years to support 'living shoreline' projects. It also discusses a feasibility study for a proposed RLF in Puget Sound, Washington, aimed at funding armor removal, soft shore protection, structure relocation, and structure elevation to combat sea level rise and coastal flooding.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate, Environmental, and Health Impacts of Fossil Fuels
The document details the 'externalities' of fossil fuels—costs not reflected in market prices—across climate, environmental, and health dimensions. It highlights significant U.S. impacts, including $606.9 billion in extreme weather costs (2016-2020) and 350,000 premature deaths in 2018. It also emphasizes the disproportionate burden on communities of color and low-income areas, such as 'Cancer Alley' in Louisiana. Proposed policy solutions include eliminating subsidies, increasing the social cost of carbon, implementing a federal clean electricity standard, and establishing carbon pricing.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Overview of the transportation series
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) conducted a briefing series on transportation sector climate mitigation, covering ports, aviation, and public transit. A specific focus was placed on commercial aviation's recovery from COVID-19, highlighting sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and aircraft technology improvements, including gas-electric propulsion and efficient engine and airframe designs, as key strategies for reducing emissions.
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Document type: Briefing
How Coal Country Can Adapt to the Energy Transition
The document examines the decline of the U.S. coal industry, driven by cheaper natural gas and renewables, and the resulting workforce crisis. It argues that a successful transition requires more than just shifting to another single industry; it necessitates broad economic diversification. The brief outlines potential employment opportunities in clean energy, energy efficiency, environmental remediation (such as mine reclamation and forest restoration), broadband deployment, and entrepreneurship. It also reviews proposed federal frameworks, such as the National Economic Transition Office, and highlights regional initiatives in Appalachia and the West that support displaced workers through retraining and community-led development.
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Document type: Briefing
Microsoft Word - NRC.ISP
Governor Greg Abbott opposes the licensing of an Interim Storage Partners (ISP) facility in Andrews County, Texas, citing risks to public safety, national energy security, and the economic stability of the Permian Basin. He argues that the facility would be a high-value target for terrorism and that the lack of a permanent geologic repository makes the 'interim' nature of the storage unreliable. Additionally, he notes that the transportation of radioactive waste would disrupt the region's critical oil and agricultural logistics.
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Document type: Statement
How Coal Country Can Adapt to the Energy Transition
The document examines the decline of the U.S. coal industry, driven by cheaper alternative energy and rising extraction costs, and the resulting workforce crisis. It evaluates various federal legislative proposals and existing programs aimed at economic diversification, such as the RECLAIM Act and EDA grants. The brief highlights opportunities for transition in renewable energy, energy efficiency, environmental restoration, broadband deployment, and entrepreneurship, emphasizing that a 'just transition' requires a holistic, community-driven approach rather than a simple shift from one single industry to another.
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Document type: Briefing
A RESILIENT FUTURE FOR COASTAL COMMUNITIES
The report outlines 30 federal policy recommendations to improve coastal resilience in the United States, emphasizing community-led planning, nature-based solutions, and equitable financing. It argues that federal policies must shift from relying on past climate data to anticipating future conditions, particularly for infrastructure and land use. Key priorities include integrating climate justice, supporting tribal sovereignty in adaptation planning, and reforming benefit-cost analysis tools to better value social and environmental outcomes. The document also advocates for the creation of a national 'green bank' and a federal climate heritage coordination office to manage the intersection of cultural preservation and climate change.
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Document type: Report
Overview of the Workforce Wednesdays series
The document outlines a series of briefings focused on workforce development for a low-carbon recovery following the COVID-19 crisis, highlighting the specific challenges and opportunities for small businesses in energy efficiency, marine renewable energy, and climate adaptation.
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Document type: Briefing
Untitled
Governor Greg Abbott wrote to President Donald Trump opposing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) evaluation of 40-year licenses for consolidated interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste at proposed sites in west Texas (Interim Storage Partners) and southeastern New Mexico (Holtec International). Abbott argues that siting these facilities in the Permian Basin Region—the world's largest producing oilfield—would compromise regional safety and risk the U.S. economy and energy security. He notes that the Permian Basin produced over 30 percent of total U.S. crude oil in 2018 and exceeded 1.5 billion barrels of oil in 2019. Additionally, he highlights the lack of a permanent storage solution since the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act and opposes the placement of highly radioactive waste in states without state consent.
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Document type: Statement