Crop Insurance, Carbon Fees, and Data Centers

Hello and welcome to?Climate Change Solutions!

This issue, we’re excited to feature several fresh articles about emissions reductions and adapting to a changing climate. Read on to learn about how?crop insurance?can help farmers amidst a changing climate, details on the European Union’s new?Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and how the U.S. can sustainably power energy-hungry?data centers. Plus, we’re bringing back an episode of?The Climate Conversation?podcast on climate resilience in Virginia featuring Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), who provided wonderful remarks at EESI’s 40th Anniversary?reception.

As the weather gets colder, we’re reminded that the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) is around the corner. Be sure to?subscribe?to EESI’s?COP29?Dispatch?to get daily announcements and developments from Baku, Azerbaijan, this November. And don’t forget to RSVP to October’s?online-only briefings?covering what Congress needs to know about COP29.

Finally, EESI is hiring a communications associate! We’re also hiring for spring communications internships.?Apply here?to join the team that makes all our briefings, articles, newsletters, white papers, and podcasts possible.?

The Latest Solutions

Opportunities in the Federal Crop Insurance Program to Bolster Soil Health for Climate Adaptation

Federal crop insurance program costs have increased and are expected to continue to grow with rising temperatures and intensifying natural disasters. Key bills and programs can improve crop insurance to best serve all farmers, help producers adapt to changes in climate, protect soil health, and reduce costs.?[click for more]

Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: A New Age of Sustainable Trade

The European Union (EU) recently rolled out its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a regulation that places an import fee on carbon-intensive goods coming from non-EU nations. This effort seeks to crack down on “carbon leakage,” a tactic companies employ to avoid domestic emission reduction requirements by moving production overseas. Similar measures have been proposed in the United States, where many industries engage in offshoring carbon emissions.?[click for more]

Optimizing Data Center Energy Demand for an Efficient U.S. Electric Grid

Data centers are expected to consume up to 9% of annual domestic electricity generation by 2030, in part due to the rise of AI. Dispatchable power sources, demand response strategies, and permitting reform can ensure data center energy demand is met in a sustainable way.?[click for more]

Podcast: Representative Jennifer McClellan Talks Climate Resilience and Environmental Justice in the Commonwealth of Virginia

EESI recently held a reception at the Library of Congress to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and we were honored to welcome two members of Congress: Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.). This week on the podcast, we are resurfacing Rep. McClellan’s interview from earlier this year, when she joined us to discuss climate resilience and environmental justice in the Commonwealth and across the country.?[click for more]

On the Hill

House Cements Support for Emission Reductions from Asphalt and Concrete:?The House passed the?Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies (IMPACT) Act?(H.R.7685).?Reps. Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) introduced the bill to?accelerate?research and development within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cement, concrete, and asphalt production. Check out EESI’s?explainer?on how policies can boost climate mitigation within the building materials industry.?

Senate Walks on the WILD Side:?The Senate amended and passed the?Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver Reauthorization (WILD) Act?(H.R.5009), which will return to the House for a vote.? The bill, led by Reps. David Joyce (R-Ohio) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), would reauthorize U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs that carry out wildlife and habitat conservation in all 50 U.S. states. Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) lead the bill’s counterpart (S.2395) in the Senate.?

House Floats Blue Carbon Bill:?Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), and Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced the?Coastal Restoration Act?(H.R.9912) to expand?coastal ecosystem conservation efforts?through research and coordination between federal, state, local, and tribal governments. Among other initiatives, the bill would?establish?a federal interagency blue carbon research initiative, as well as a national inventory of coastal ecosystems that could help sequester carbon.?

Energy Efficiency Is on the House:?Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) introduced the?Cool Roof Rebate Act of 2024?(H.R.9894). If enacted, the bill would?establish?a rebate program under the DOE for “cool roof” products— reflective rooftop devices that can lower building temperatures, effectively lowering electricity consumption and energy bills. EESI’s Living with Climate Change briefing on?extreme heat?discussed other ways built and natural infrastructure can reduce building temperatures.

We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for?September 23-27?and?September 30-October 4.

Implementation Updates

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

• The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration?announced?$62 billion in infrastructure funding for Fiscal Year 2025 to improve roads, bridges, tunnels, and transportation systems across the country and create new jobs in the process.
• DOE?announced?$1.5 billion for four transmission projects to strengthen the national electric grid. These projects, funded through the?Transmission Facilitation Program, include new transmission lines and a new substation.
• DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations?announced?a Notice of Intent to direct $1.3 billion to carbon capture, utilization, and storage projects that can help scale carbon capture techniques to reduce net emissions. This funding comes from the?Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program?and the?Carbon Capture Large-Scale Pilot Projects Program.
• DOE has opened applications for its?Building Upgrades Inspiring Local Transformation (BUILT Nonprofits) grant, which funds energy efficiency projects undertaken by nonprofits. EESI’s?briefing,?Funding Opportunities for Nonprofits, Municipalities, and Communities, has more on IRA and IIJA opportunities for nonprofits.

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture?announced?$5.7 billion in funding for climate-smart farming and forestry practices, as part of a total $7.7 billion investment in producer assistance programs.
• The Department of the Interior?announced?a $71 million investment in funding for the?Tribal Electrification Program, which will help provide reliable access to electricity for 13 tribal communities.

Upcoming Events

You are invited to a three-part briefing series on what Congress needs to know about the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Briefings will cover key issues at play in international climate negotiations and why they matter for U.S. efforts to address climate change. The briefings in this series are:

What’s on the Table for the Negotiations

Wednesday, October 23

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Online only

• The first briefing in our COP29 series will be about what Congress can expect during the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan. Thousands of events will take place over the course of the two-week U.N. session. Whether traveling to Baku or observing COP29 from D.C., this briefing will guide policymakers on how to engage effectively. Panelists will preview key issues on the negotiating agenda, unpack the complex process of international climate negotiations, review possible policy outcomes, and explore pathways for subsequent Congressional action.?RSVP here

Methane Mitigation on the Global Stage

Thursday, October 24

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Online only

• The second installment of the COP29 series will discuss how nations can collaborate to monitor and mitigate methane emissions to improve air quality and meet emission reduction targets. Methane accounts for 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution and has 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide, making it a key lever in addressing the climate crisis. This briefing will cover policies nations are implementing to effectively reduce their domestic methane emissions in the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. Panelists will check in on the implementation of the Global Methane Pledge, and highlight the role of technology in improving methane monitoring, compliance, and reduction.?RSVP here

The U.S.-China Relationship and International Climate Diplomacy

Friday, October 25

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Online only

• EESI's COP29 briefing series will conclude with an overview of the role of United States-China climate engagement in shaping the progress and outcomes of international climate governance. In 2023, ahead of COP28, the United States and China produced the Sunnylands Statement covering topics related to the energy transition, forest conservation, and non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. They also kicked off a working group focused on “climate action in the 2020s,” which started meeting in the first half of 2024. Panelists will explain how these bilateral interactions play into the international negotiations on climate change, outline what to expect during COP29 and its lead-up, and discuss the effectiveness of diplomatic efforts in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.?RSVP here

In Case You Missed It

Climate Week Event ┃ United for Climate: Broad-Based Support for Natural Climate Solutions in the U.S.

EESI and U.S. Nature4Climate co-hosted an event during Climate Week in New York City to highlight public support for natural climate solutions. Panelists discussed the results of recent polling on natural climate solutions, as well as strategies that can scale up implementation from a variety of different perspectives. The full recording is available here.

Press Release ┃ EESI Earns 15th Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator ?

EESI has earned another Four-Star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most trusted independent charity evaluator. EESI President Daniel Bresette explains: "When Charity Navigator cites our commitment to good governance and our mission, vision, and goals, it means a lot to see our work validated." Click?here?to learn more about EESI's Charity Navigator designation.

Latest Media Coverage

• Live Science cited EESI’s?aviation?issue brief?in an?article?listing 32 unusual ways to fight climate change.
• The Cool Down cited EESI’s?fact sheet?on mass timber in an?article?about plans to build the world’s tallest wooden skyscraper in Milwaukee.