Profile of EESI and Its President, Daniel Bresette

Author: Alan H. McGowan, Lecturer, Environmental Studies Program, New School in New York City.

This Q&A was originally published in the journal Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, here (open access through June 7, 2023)

Very briefly, tell us the main goals of the organization you head, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI).

EESI Board Member Rosina Bierbaum, a professor at the Universities of Maryland and Michigan and the former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and EESI President Daniel Bresette on November 19, 2019.

EESI is working toward three main, long-term objectives: clean, decarbonized energy that is affordable and accessible for everyone; resilient, healthy, sustainable, and just communities that can prepare for and adapt to climate change impacts; and informed decision makers motivated and equipped to act on urgently needed climate solutions. That third objective is especially important because it guides our work with Congress and federal agencies, both in Washington and outside the Beltway in rural communities.
EESI has two lines of business. The first is policymaker education, which is primarily focused on Congress. Our target audience is the Congressional staff person, overworked and overwhelmed and often desperate for easy-to-understand, nonpartisan, and science-based information about environmental, clean energy, and climate topics.
Our second line of business is work with rural utilities to make inclusive on-bill financing programs available to their customers to help increase access to energy efficiency and renewable energy. Dating back to even before the 2014 Farm Bill, EESI has worked with leaders at rural electric cooperatives and Congress to develop, enact, and secure funding for the Rural Energy Savings Program. Since then, we have leveraged our understanding of RESP and worked with dozens of utilities to make clean energy more affordable in rural communities across the country.

What EESI accomplishments are you most proud of?

Our major report, A Resilient Future for Coastal Communities. It was published in October 2020 and featured in an episode of our podcast, The Climate Conversation, last fall. When I started at EESI in October 2019, we were in the middle of a multipart briefing series about climate resilience in coastal areas of the United States. I remember being in one of the briefings, about equitable, community-driven climate adaptation planning in coastal Louisiana, and thinking, “This is just great—but there are so many more people than those in the room today who need to hear the stories from these communities.” That led to the idea of a “capstone” report to pull together all the findings, recommendations, and case studies from the 16 briefings—which featured 42 diverse experts, practitioners, and community leaders—in a single, comprehensive resource. We ended up with 30 recommendations, with case studies ranging from small towns in Alaska to New York City.

What made you interested in joining EESI?

I first got to know EESI when I worked on Capitol Hill in the early and mid- 2000s. I remember attending EESI’s annual renewable energy and energy efficiency policy forum and exhibition a few times. Later, when I worked for the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), I was doing some early-stage research about energy efficiency in microbreweries, and EESI had just published an article about that. I called the author of the article and invited myself over for a meeting. I think that was the first time I met EESI’s long-time executive director—and my predecessor—Carol Werner. When I got home later, I told my wife that a nonprofit like EESI might be a fun place to work.
I left MEA and joined another nonprofit in August 2015. I was back on Capitol Hill on a regular basis, which meant I was once again following EESI’s work. When the EESI board announced a search for a new executive director after Carol’s decision to retire, I thought, “Oh, that would be my dream job.” About six months and several rounds of interviews later, I got the call.
Working at EESI is basically the best of all possible worlds. First and foremost, I have great colleagues, a group of professionals who share a deep commitment to advancing equitable climate solutions.
Second, I find Congress to be endlessly and endearingly fascinating and frustrating. I spent six years on Capitol Hill in various jobs and loved every minute of it. Providing Congressional staff with nonpartisan, educational resources about climate solutions is uniquely rewarding.