The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is hosting a briefing series on federal programs that currently deliver a host of climate, environmental, economic, and social benefits nationwide. Experts and practitioners will discuss how these programs are working on-the-ground to deliver value to constituents across geographies, in both urban and rural settings. The series covers federal programs in climate financing, energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and conservation.

The first briefing in the series will take place on Tuesday, February 8 from 2:00- 3:30 pm EST and will feature the Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), which provides rural electric cooperatives, other rural utilities, credit unions, and green banks with zero-percent loans to launch or expand energy efficiency, beneficial electrification, and renewable energy on-bill financing programs.

RESP was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2016. To date, RESP has made loans worth more than $180 million to 30 utilities in 17 states. Panelists will discuss the importance of RESP in helping rural communities transform how they finance clean energy and advance equity.

REGISTER HERE

Speakers

• Robert Coates

Branch Chief, Electric Program, Rural Utilities Service, USDA Rural Development

• Doug O’Brien

President and CEO, National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA)

• Denise Abdul-Rahman

Energy Democracy Fellow, Environmental and Climate Justice, NAACP

• Travis Neal

Head Accountant, Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO)

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North Carolina’s cooperative ecosystem is building inclusive, equitable and resilient communities