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<br />HIGHLIGHTS
<br />
<br />1990 marked the fifth birthday of the
<br />Environmental and Energy Study
<br />mstitute (EES!). EESI is a not-for-
<br />. profit, 501(c)(3) organization estab-
<br />lished in cooperation with the leaders of
<br />the Congressional Environmental and En~
<br />ergy Study Conference (EESC), Congress'
<br />largest legislative service organization.
<br />EESI is the nation's only independent orga-
<br />nization set up by Congressional leaders to
<br />promote better informed national debate
<br />on environmental and energy issues and to
<br />generate innovative policy responses.
<br />
<br />We had a "changing of the guard" in the
<br />spring: GusSpeth, president of World Re-
<br />sources Institute, became chairman of
<br />,BEST's board, replacing Roger Sant, chair-
<br />man.and chief executive officer of Applied
<br />, Energy Seryices, Int. We celebrated our
<br />fifth anniveISary with a festive birthday
<br />dinner. . l "
<br />
<br />During the year, the Institute built on its
<br />growing expertise and its sp~ial niche for
<br />providing the Congress with timely, useful,
<br />information and effective policy'options.
<br />Wit:!> some satisfaction, we have watched ,
<br />,as ideas the Institute generated or dissemin-
<br />ated showed up in legislation, in hearings,
<br />in Congressional letters, in administration
<br />proposals and'elsewhere. EESI continues t.o'
<br />enjoy and blJild on its special relationship
<br />with Congress. '
<br />
<br />During 1990, EESl more than met the objec,
<br />tives of its core programs - energy effi-
<br />ciency and renewable energy, global cli-
<br />mate change, groundwater protection and
<br />international environment. We were espe-
<br />cially pleased with the effect our educa-
<br />ponal efforts had on the 1990 fann bill and
<br />the Clean Air Act.
<br />
<br />It was in the context of the 1990 farm bill
<br />, that groundwater protection advanced the
<br />most; we were able to make the co~nection
<br />between commodity progra'ms and water
<br />quality, and to gain !l1ore in'policy changes
<br />than we expected. We expanded the
<br />groundwater program to embrac'e water
<br />quality generally and water supply, and in-
<br />tegrated into it the water efficiency project
<br />begun in 1989.
<br />
<br />One highly'successful program, waste man-
<br />agement, was put on hold early in the year,
<br />
<br />in part because Congress was well on its '
<br />'way to addressing the solid waste iSsue.
<br />
<br />Our work on energy efficiency and renew-
<br />able energy as air pollution strategies paid.
<br />off handsomely in the.199O Clean Air Act.
<br />The Energy Program and its collaborators
<br />came very close to seeing Senate approv~l
<br />of increased automobile fuel efficiency stan-'
<br />dards, an issue that will come up again in
<br />.1991. ,
<br />
<br />The InternationaIProgram initiated three
<br />new projects during 1990: a Task Force on
<br />International Cooperation for Sustainable
<br />Development, a Congressional working
<br />group on,the 1992 United Nations Confer-
<br />ence on Environment and Development,
<br />and a World Forest Agreement Working
<br />Group. The Climate Change Program con-
<br />tinued to try to clarify the science underly-
<br />ing the debate; the program's policy compo-
<br />nent played out in the Intemational and the
<br />Energy Programs.
<br />
<br />The project on domestic'sUstainability
<br />begun in 1989 made major strides in defin-
<br />, ing cross-cutting, innovative ways for the
<br />United states to improve the efficieni)' of
<br />'its resource use. We also began identifying
<br />opportunities for such initiatives to tontrib-,
<br />ute to improving the domestic and global
<br />environment and ,economy.
<br />
<br />We orga,nized numerous formal educa-
<br />tional programs, attended by more than
<br />3,000 key decisionmakers during the year,
<br />We published more than a dozen of our,
<br />own reports.and 30 issue briefs, along with
<br />more than 80 reports by the Congressional'
<br />Confe,ence. These materials were distrib-
<br />uted widely on Capitol Hill and in the
<br />executive branch, and to some or all of the
<br />more than 10,000 people in the EESI data .
<br />base.
<br />
<br />Earth Day 1990 spu'rred EESI to take on a
<br />new challenge, EARTHTECH 90, a major
<br />environmental technology fair and forum.
<br />Over 95 companies, non-profits and federal'
<br />agencies' mounted exhibits. The range of
<br />products, strategies and technology demon-
<br />strated and displayed was extrao!"'linary;
<br />ranging from plastic recycling to solar box
<br />cookers and high-efficiency motors.
<br />
<br />{The Study Conference was founded in '
<br />1975 to provide objective information to
<br />Congress on environmental and energy leg-
<br />islation. Over its 15-year history, the Confer-
<br />ence has grown into the largest legislative
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