The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit organization based in Washington DC which promotes environmentally sustainable societies. Founded by a bipartisan and bicameral group of Congressional Members, EESI seeks to be a catalyst that moves society away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future. EESI advances policy solutions that will result in decreased global warming and air pollution; improvements in public health, energy security and rural economic development opportunities; increased use of renewable energy sources and improved energy efficiency; and the protection of areas such as the Arctic and coastal regions.

EESI educates policymakers and the public through timely information and innovative policy initiatives in the form of Congressional briefings, publications, task forces and meetings. EESI’s current programs are: Energy & Climate; Sustainable Biomass & Energy, which covers bioenergy, biofuels and biobased products from agriculture and forestry; and Transportation & Smart Growth. The Executive Director is Carol Werner.

EESI grew out of the Environmental Study Conference, which was an informal Congressional study group that began in 1975 with a bi-partisan group of House Members, led by former Congressman Richard Ottinger, former Congressman John Heinz, and former Congressman Gilbert Gude. Over the years, the Study Conference grew, expanded to the Senate and added the word “energy” to its name. The membership of the Conference grew to more than 85 Senators and 295 Representatives. Because the Conference was unable to support its work entirely on Congressional funds and rules prohibited their receipt of outside financial support, in 1982 they formed the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). EESI was formed as a totally separate and distinct entity, controlled by a private board of directors, which included several Members of Congress. EESI incorporated and received its IRS 501(c)(3) status in 1984.