Hello and welcome to Climate Change Solutions!

In this issue, we are excited about our latest aviation article, covering commitments from the United States and other countries to decrease emissions from commercial aviation. Plus, we are featuring the final article in our 40th anniversary series, with EESI President Daniel Bresette’s take on our vision for the future.

Be sure to RSVP to our Climate Camp briefing series. This Thursday, we will be in the Rayburn Gold Room covering the budget, reconciliation, and appropriations, with subsequent briefings on clean manufacturing in America and the path to a bipartisan surface transportation bill.

U.S. and International Commitments to Tackle Commercial Aviation Emissions
[5 min. read]

U.S. commercial aviation is projected to produce just under 500 million tons of carbon dioxide per year by 2050 with the air traffic growth projected by mid-century—if no abatement strategies are employed. New airplane design and technology, efficient air traffic management, and transitioning to 100% sustainable aviation fuels could together bring those 500 million tons down to net-zero emissions. [click for more]

California Representatives Introduce Aerial Firefighting Bill: The House passed the Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2025 (H.R.836). Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.) introduced the bill, which would mandate a joint study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of the Interior on the use of aerial firefighting technologies to reduce the spread of wildfires. EESI explored other wildfire mitigation tools on our podcast, The Climate Conversation.

STEWARD Act Aims to Boost Rural Recycling and Composting: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed the Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act of 2025 (S.351). Introduced by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), alongside Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), the bill would establish a pilot grant program to improve and expand domestic recycling efforts, particularly in rural and underserved areas. The STEWARD Act would also require the Environmental Protection Agency to collect and report data on domestic recycling and composting rates.

Brownfields Reauthorization Heads Out of Committee: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works also passed the Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S.347), which Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) reintroduced in January. If signed into law, the bill would reauthorize funding for the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated legacy industrial sites, or brownfields.

We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for January 27-31 and February 3-7.

Ready to make a difference in climate policy? But not sure where to start? You won’t want to miss EESI’s start-of-the-new-Congress briefing series, Climate Camp. We will go over the basics of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for climate mitigation and adaptation policy. The remaining briefings in this series are:

Understanding the Budget and Appropriations Process
Thursday, February 13
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2168 (Gold Room) and online
RSVP here

Clean Manufacturing in America
Wednesday, February 26
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST
Capitol Visitor’s Center, SVC 210 and online
RSVP here

The Process and Path Forward for a Bipartisan Surface Transportation Bill
Thursday, March 13
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EDT
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2168 (Gold Room) and online
RSVP here

EESI’s Resilient and Healthy Rivers briefing series will continue in the new year, exploring challenges facing communities situated along U.S. rivers—from industrial pollution to flooding and drought. The briefings will highlight equitable solutions and policies that deliver multiple mitigation, adaptation, and economic benefits. The next briefing coming up in this series is:

The Colorado River
Wednesday, February 19
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EST
Online only
RSVP here

Latest Media Coverage

• The New York Times newsletter, Climate Forward, quoted EESI President Daniel Bresette on the importance of federal funding to help rural electric cooperatives transition to clean energy.