Ask an Expert: DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse
The purpose of the DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse is to help increase the availability of information about DOE’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) activities. The Clearinghouse will provide initial consultations, and also make referrals when appropriate to other information sources (websites, documents, DOE staff, etc).
You can contact us with your questions using our submittal form, by calling our toll-free number: 1-888-DOE-RCVY (1-888-363-7289), or browse our list of frequently asked questions. Media inquiries should be directed to the DOE Press Office.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Funding Opportunities
Employment/Training
Transparency/Accountability
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Contact the Recovery Act Clearinghouse
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
How do I find out about the funds available from DOE?
All Recovery Act Funding Opportunities Announcements, along with application instructions, will be posted on the Funding Opportunities page.
When will funds become available?
The timeline for funds becoming available will depend on the specific program and project. Please check the website often for updates.
What types of funding are available from DOE?
The DOE will distribute funds through a number of mechanisms including but not limited to:
- Grants, contracts, cooperative agreements and other transactions to companies, universities and other entities selected through a competitive process. Project applications will be solicited for a wide variety of projects including, but not limited to, renewable energy projects, advanced fossil energy projects, advanced battery projects, smart grid projects, and industrial energy efficiency projects.
- Loan guarantees for DOE to guarantee the terms of private sector loans for energy projects will be awarded to applicants selected through a solicitation process under new section 1705 of Title XVII of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, as amended. The Recovery Act amends Title XVII to create new loan guarantee authority under section 1705 of Title XVII to promote the rapid deployment of renewable energy systems that generate electricity or thermal energy (or facilities manufacturing related components), electric power transmission systems, and certain leading edge biofuel projects, in each case, commencing construction no later than September 30, 2011. Such projects eligible for a loan guarantee under new section 1705 of Title XVII are not required to satisfy Title XVII’s requirements in section 1703 that the technology utilized avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and be new or significantly improved.
- State/local governments will administer the distribution of several energy grant programs, including the Weatherization Assistance Program, the Energy Efficiency Community Block Grants Program and grants made to the State Energy Offices and State Energy Programs.
- Contracts for the risk reduction and cleanup of the environmental legacy of the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Both large and small businesses will be utilized to carry out these critical cleanup activities.
- Grants and fellowships for scientific research will be awarded through a competitive process to scientists and engineers at universities and national laboratories in areas critical to accelerating innovative renewable energy solutions, grid modernization and improving U.S. scientific and economic competitiveness.
How do I apply for a grant from DOE?
All Funding Opportunity Announcements will be posted on the Funding Opportunities page. All grant solicitations will also be posted and all applications will be submitted through at Grants.gov. Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting applications. The registration process can take 3-5 business days, and potentially as long as 2 weeks. Early registration is recommended. As part of the registration process there are several one-time actions prospective applicants must complete prior to submitting an application, but which can be completed before specific funding announcements are made. Read the registration instructions. Instructions for meeting specific application requirements will be posted in the solicitation.
How do I apply for a contract from DOE?
Contract solicitations will be posted on either FedConnect or DOE's Industry Interactive Procurement System. Proposals and offers submitted in response to a contract solicitation are generally submitted electronically; however, there may be limited instances where a hard copy (paper) proposal may be required. Interested parties should review the proposal submission instructions set out in the solicitation. Advance notices of DOE contracting opportunities are posted on FedBizOpps. In some cases, registration may be required. Instructions on how to register are provided at the web site links for the respective systems.
How do I apply for a loan guarantee from DOE?
The DOE will request loan guarantee applications under new section 1705 of Title XVII, and these solicitations will be posted on the Funding Opportunities page.
How do I apply for funds that are administered through a state/local program?
Please click on the link to your state on DOE’s Recovery Website to find information about your state energy office. Other opportunities in your state will be listed at Recovery.gov.
How do I apply for a scientific research grant or fellowship?
New funding opportunities announcements will be posted on Grants.gov along with instructions for how to apply. Any opportunity funded with Recovery Act funds will be identified in its description.
How do I apply for ARPA-E R&D funding?
As a new origination, Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is in the process of creating its first solicitation. Information on this and subsequent ARPA-E solicitations will be posted on FedBizOpps.
EMPLOYMENT/TRAINING
What employment opportunities are available at DOE in support of the Recovery Act?
DOE is filling a number of positions to address the need for hiring additional staff in support of the Recovery Act. Some of these positions may be filled on a temporary basis of up to two years. The application process for these positions is the same as for all federal job opportunities at the DOE.
Step 1: Create an application profile at USAJOBS. Applicants can complete and submit online application profiles through USAJOBS, the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) application system, which collects general information completed by all federal job applicants. Register at USAJobs.
Step 2: Apply for a specific job through a posting on DOE’s USAJOBS portal. Applications for positions at DOE can be submitted through the DOE's USAJOBS portal. To see a list of current DOE job postings.
Detailed information on how to apply for jobs at the Department of Energy, including how to set up an automatic update for new job postings is available on DOE's Employment page.
What employment opportunities are available with DOE contractors funded by the Recovery Act?
In July, DOE will launch a new web feature that will give the public the ability to track when, how, and where Recovery Act money is being spent. This feature will include the names of the recipients that have been awarded money. Please contact the contractors/grantees directly for job openings.
What construction job opportunities are available?
The Recovery Act requires that beginning in June award recipients report directly to Recovery.gov information on the type and location of infrastructure projects that are funded by the Recovery Act. This reporting also requires that an executive (such as a mayor) must certify that the construction projects meet the intents of the Recovery Act. These reports will be available on Recovery.gov, along with information on applying for employment.
What support does DOE provide for education and worker training?
There are Recovery Act funds available to support education and worker training for basic sciences and engineering and a wide range of energy sector applications, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electricity transmission and distribution. There will be funds available through Department of Labor, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education as well as the Department of Energy. Please check back for updates on how to find education and training opportunities in your state.
TRANSPARENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY
How can I track DOE’s progress?
The DOE is compiling various reports to populate Recovery.gov. Those reports include: Major Communications, Formula Block Grant Allocations, Weekly Reports, Monthly Financial Reports, Award-Level Reporting, an Agency-Wide Plan and Program-Specific Reporting. To make our work transparent and accountable we are posting those reports on our Recovery Act Communications, Plans and Reports page.
As the funds are distributed, progress will also be tracked on a state-by-state and program-by-program basis. Overall progress will be tracked on Recovery.gov.
What is DOE doing in my state?
To learn more about DOE’s activity in your state, please click on your state in the map found on DOE's Recovery page.
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA)
What is NEPA?
NEPA is a Federal law that serves as the Nation’s basic charter for environmental protection. It requires that all Federal agencies consider the potential environmental impacts of their proposed actions. NEPA promotes better agency decisionmaking by ensuring that high quality environmental information is available to agency officials and the public before the agency decides whether and how to undertake a major Federal action.
Does NEPA apply to Recovery Act funding?
Yes. Compliance with NEPA is a normal part of DOE’s decisionmaking process for the types of projects and activities funded by the Recovery Act. In addition, Section 1609 of the Recovery Act states that adequate resources must be devoted to completing NEPA reviews expeditiously.
What are the different types of NEPA review?
The appropriate level of review depends on the significance (i.e., the context and intensity) of the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. There are three levels of NEPA review:
- Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – For major Federal actions that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment, NEPA requires preparation of an EIS. An EIS is a detailed analysis of the potential environmental impacts of a proposed action and the range of reasonable alternatives. Public participation is an important part of the EIS process.
- Environmental Assessment (EA) – When the need for an EIS is unclear, an agency may prepare an EA to determine whether to prepare an EIS or to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact. An EA is a brief analysis. Public participation is required for an EA, and DOE’s procedures provide notification and comment opportunities for host states and tribes. DOE also may provide notification and comment opportunities for other interested people. DOE then considers any comments received, makes revisions as appropriate, and issues the EA.
- Categorical Exclusion (CX) – DOE’s NEPA regulations list classes of actions that normally do not require an EIS or an EA because, individually or cumulatively, they do not have the potential for significant environmental impacts. Examples are information gathering activities, certain energy conservation measures, bench-scale research, and some pilot and demonstration projects. The complete list of DOE categorical exclusions is contained in Appendices A and B to Subpart D of DOE’s NEPA regulations (10 CFR Part 1021).
How will NEPA compliance affect funding availability?
DOE will be limited in its ability to obligate funds to a project prior to the completion of appropriate NEPA review. In some cases, DOE may make a funding award contingent upon completion of the NEPA process. In such cases, use of funds might initially be limited to conceptual design and similar activities that would not have an adverse environmental impact or limit the choice of reasonable alternatives.
Can I avoid the need for an EIS?
DOE expects that most projects and activities funded by the Recovery Act will fit within its existing categorical exclusions or already completed NEPA reviews. In these cases, additional NEPA review is not required. Proposals for new activities with the potential for significant environmental impact may require preparation of an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS). Many EAs are completed in 3–6 months, and many EISs are completed in 12–18 months.
Whether an EIS is required depends on the nature of the proposal and is decided on a case-by-case basis. In general, projects requiring an EIS tend to involve one or more of the factors listed below.
- Construction of large, new facilities.
- Impacts on sensitive areas or resources (e.g., habitat for endangered species; wetlands; areas of poor air quality; coastlines; areas adjacent to parks, schools, and protected landscapes). In arid climates, such as much of the western U.S., use of large quantities of water.
- Large releases of emissions or effluents (particularly those categorized as hazardous); use of large amounts of hazardous materials.
- Disturbance of local communities (large traffic increases, losses of views or open areas).
- Scientific controversy about environmental effects; unique or unknown risks.
- Controversial subject matter (coal, nuclear and waste management facilities, coastal wind farms).
How can I accelerate the NEPA review for my proposal?
Provide accurate and complete information early. The fundamental purpose of NEPA is to provide the public and decisionmakers high quality information about potential environmental impacts before a decision is made. The NEPA process requires looking at both the potential beneficial and adverse environmental impacts. Delays gathering relevant environmental data directly affect the schedule for completing the NEPA review. If new information arises late in the process, analyses may have to be redone, significantly affecting the schedule.
Where can I find more information on NEPA?
The DOE NEPA Website contains links to DOE regulations, guidance, existing DOE NEPA documents, and a wide array of related information.
CONTACT THE RECOVERY ACT CLEARINGHOUSE
If you cannot find the answer to your question, you may contact the Recovery Act Clearinghouse staff directly by submitting your inquiry using our Web submission form or by calling our toll-free number 1-888-DOE-RCVY (1-888-363-7289).
The Recovery Act Clearinghouse’s services are offered at no charge to the public. We only respond to inquiries from the United States.
The Recovery Act Clearinghouse is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
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